Georgian Parliament official says certain ambassadors discredit themselves by encouraging radicalism, remaining silent

Levan Machavariani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and Deputy Chair of the parliamentary faction of the ruling party, on Sunday voiced sharp criticism regarding foreign-funded grants for NGOs and the silence of certain foreign embassies on the matter.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Machavariani recalled the Georgian Parliament Speaker’s recent address to the British Embassy regarding grants.

“A tendency has emerged whereby ambassadors and diplomats of certain countries - of course, I do not mean all of them - through their actions, their silence, and subsequently encouraging radicalism by this silence, end up discrediting themselves in the eyes of the overwhelming majority of our citizens”, the ruling party official said.

“When we request explanations - Mr. Shalva Papuashvili did so in this case - there is always silence, which raises further questions among the public. If all this is based on some logic and arguments exist behind it, then obviously, instead of silence, it would be better to make this information public and address our society openly”, he continued.

The MP also commented on a grant awarded in April by the French Ambassador to the NGO SovLab, whose leaders include Giorgi Kandelaki and Irakli Khvadagiani, a member of the United National Movement list.

“The decision by the French Ambassador is shocking - she awarded a grant directly to the United National Movement just an hour or two before the law on grants was adopted”, Machavariani noted.

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday publicly called on the British Embassy to disclose detailed information about its financial support related to Georgia's 2024 parliamentary elections.

“I call on the British Embassy to make public all funding related to the 2024 parliamentary elections - who received what and how much, then and now”, the Speaker said.