Georgian Parliament announces separation of Ministry of Culture and Sports starting in January

The Georgian Parliament on Wednesday said the Ministry of Culture and Sports would be separated into two ministries starting next month, following an initiative by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and the Government team.

Vakhtang Bachiashvili, the Government’s Parliamentary Secretary, pointed out “main directions” of the draft law at a meeting of the Sports Committee, and noted amendments aligned with the Government programme presented to the legislative body for a vote of confidence by the PM last month.

Viktor Sanikidze, an MP of the ruling Georgian Dream party, welcomed the legislative initiative by saying the sports community had “long awaited these changes” separating their field from the unified Ministry.

Sanikidze highlighted “significant achievements” of Georgian sports, emphasising the importance of “further progress”, while also noting “large-scale projects”, including a ₾2 billion ($728 mln) programme for development of sports infrastructure in the country.

The Committee unanimously approved the draft law and the related legislative package at the first hearing.