President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia has dismissed as “nonsense” some of the conditions attached to international aid pledged to the country since its clash with Russia last month.

In an interview, he said he government would abide by World Bank tendering rules when awarding contracts arising from almost $2bn (€1.4bn, £1.1bn) in aid granted by the US and European Union – in spite of the risk of delay from the bank’s rigorous vetting procedures.