US to continue funding Georgian earthquake monitoring centre following fears of closure

The US has said it will continue to fund the Georgian Institute of Earth Sciences and National Seismic Monitoring Centre at Ilia State University, days after the institute’s head warned they could cease to function within three months after losing US funding.

On Monday, the institute said they had lost US funding as part of a wide-ranging freeze on US financial aid to the Georgian Government. The Seismic Monitoring Centre is part of Ilia State University, a state institution.

Since the Georgian Government adopted the foreign agent law in May, both the US and EU have cut several aid programmes to the country, while the EU has said Georgia’s membership bid is on hold and the US has issued travel bans on a number of individuals.

The head of the Seismic Institute, Tea Godoladze, told RFE/RL on Monday that if the centre did not find new sources of funding, it would only be able to continue to function for another three months. However, in a post on Facebook on Thursday, she said they had received ‘additional clarification’ that the cuts would not affect the institute ‘as the US fully understands the critical importance of ensuring the safety of people’.

The US Embassy in Tbilisi confirmed to OC Media that funding of the institute would continue. The embassy declined to say if the decision to continue funding had come after media coverage of the issue. They also declined to say what other institutions may be safe from cuts.

‘The United States has paused $95 million in assistance that benefits the Government of Georgia due to the ruling party’s anti-democratic actions and false narratives’, they said. ‘We have not paused funding to the seismic monitoring center.’

‘The United States for almost 25 years has provided funding that monitors seismic activity in Georgia and helps advance the safety of the people of Georgia as well as all residents of and visitors to Georgia, including US citizens.’