Georgia lost to Russia militarily but in public relations terms the country has come out on top and looks set to receive substantial overseas funding to help pay the $1 billion repair bill for damage to its civilian infrastructure. On the economic front, the achievements since the Rose Revolution in 2003, which brought pro-western president Mikheil Saak’ashvili into power, have been impressive. Foreign direct investment has quadrupled to $2 billion and GDP per capita has doubled to $2,315. However, whether or not Georgia can maintain its economic progress in the face of outright Russian hostility and the loss of South Ossetia and Abkhazia remains open to question.
Economy minister Eka Sharashidze estimates that the Georgian economy has sustained $1.5 billion-worth of direct and indirect losses as a result of the conflict, roughly equivalent to 12% of GDP. Most of the immediate disruption to business has come from road closures and the destruction of bridges. Some $100 million has been withdrawn from the banking system, roughly 5% of pre-conflict deposits.
Strong financial position
The currency has remained stable, however, with the Georgian lari trading around the pre-conflict level of GeL1.41 to the dollar, thanks to a healthy level of foreign-currency reserves and pledges of financial support from the US and other members of the G7 group of industrialized nations.