Tbilisi: The amount of funds to be allocated from Georgia’s state budget for the Mirza Fatali Akhundov Museum of Azerbaijani Culture and the Heydar Aliyev Tbilisi State Professional Azerbaijani Drama Theater, operating in Tbilisi, has been announced, APA’s local bureau reports.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the draft state budget of Georgia for 2026 outlines a significant increase in funding for these cultural institutions. The Mirza Fatali Akhundov Museum is set to receive 78 thousand lari (49 thousand AZN) for the next year, while the Heydar Aliyev Theater will be allocated 377 thousand lari (236.5 thousand AZN). This increase represents a rise over the 2025 allocations, which were 64 thousand lari for the museum and 318 thousand lari for the theater.
The museum plans to allocate 50 thousand lari of its state funding to salaries, with an additional 28 thousand lari available for services permitted by law. Similarly, the theater will use 356 thousand lari for salaries, and it is eligible to receive 20 thousand lari of income from services provided under existing legislation, with a thousand lari earmarked for other expenses.
The draft budget also includes funds for the Petros Adamyan Tbilisi State Armenian Drama Theater, which is slated to receive 906 thousand lari (568.3 thousand AZN). This marks a 20.4% increase over the 2025 budget and is significantly higher, at 2.8 times, than the allocation for the Azerbaijani theater.
Currently, the project is under discussion in the Georgian parliament within committee formats. It is expected to be submitted to the government on October 14, followed by discussions at parliamentary session meetings, where amendments may be made.