Ruling party official: Georgia can be in top 10 in combating corruption with “right action”

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Monday said Georgia could be in the world’s top 10 countries in combating corruption “with the right action”.

He said the “very clear” messages delivered by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze at his first Government meeting earlier today had been “simple to understand”.

It was a message to how things should develop in the future - for example, in the direction of combating corruption. When we have very good results in the fight against corruption, and we are promoted by index[es of international organisations] in measurements against corruption, we can already leave no room for speculation - the dynamics of the fight against corruption can take such a large scale”, he said.

Mdinaradze also mentioned the importance of methods to be used in this process, disproving approaches used by the former United National Movement Government, which he said had used “home invasions”. 

On the contrary - dynamically, with the right action, we can find ourselves in the world's top 10 in the fight against corruption”, Mdinaradze said.

Levan Davitashvili, the Economy Minister, also spoke about corruption during a press briefing after the Government meeting. He said combating corruption and seeking its elimination was also a priority task of the Government, adding Georgia was in an “advanced” position in “all international ratings and assessments” on the matter.

Although we may be one of the most transparent, least corrupt countries in the region, corruption is naturally unacceptable [...] Any achievement in this or that field does not mean that we should be satisfied and not aim for greater results”, he pointed out.

The Minister added it was important to “raise the standard to a[n even] higher level” in state efforts to combat corruption.