The World Bank is praising Georgia's anti-corruption reforms, calling them unprecedented and suggesting the could be a model for other countries.

In a report released Tuesday, the bank said President Mikhail Saakashvili's government has tamed corruption that once "permeated every aspect of life in Georgia."

Georgia "destroys the myth that corruption is cultural and gives hope to reformers everywhere," it said.

Saakashvili has often pointed to the reforms as a sign the country is moving in the right direction. However critics have said the country remains authoritarian and restrictive of the media. Indeed, the World Bank notes that much of the country's success in reforms was achievable because power was concentrated at the top of the government.

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