A loan agreement was signed between Georgia and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for a rapid response project against COVID-19.

The document was signed by the Minister of Finance Ivane Matchavariani and Vice-President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Konstantin Limitovskiy.

It should be noted that the financial resources allocated by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank are part of the "Emergency COVID-19 Response Project” loan agreement concluded with the World Bank on May 1, by which the World Bank allocated $ 80 million (equivalent to EUR 73.1 million).

The budget support amounts to € 91,340,000 and aims to prevent, identify, respond to, and address the threats posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Georgia and to strengthen national public health systems.

The financial resources allocated by our partners will be used to support the country's healthcare sector and increase the epidemiological capacity of public health centers, increase general testing, expand access to critical medical devices and equipment, and provide financial support for them through a targeted social assistance program and temporary financial assistance to directly or indirectly affected families by COVID-19.

The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia.

It should be noted that the agreement signed today between the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Georgia is part of the financial support received by the Georgian government from the partner international donor organizations in order to fight against COVID-19 pandemic and to further rehabilitatethe country's economy.