Georgia’s ruling party Sec Gen says Rubio’s statement confirms concerns over USAID funds in Georgia

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Thursday said only a small portion of the funds entering Georgia had been used to finance development projects, while the majority was directed toward political activities and interference in the country’s internal processes.

Kaladze made the remarks while commenting on a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding the abolition of USAID. According to the Mayor, Rubio’s comments raise serious questions about how funds channeled through USAID were used in Georgia.

“There should be no question marks anymore about whether the funds coming into Georgia from various international organizations were transparent or not. Today, it is already clear what they were spent on”, Kaladze told reporters.

He claimed that while a small share of the funding was allocated to various projects as a form of cover, the funds were in reality used to influence politics, manage internal political processes, encourage aggressive groups, fuel polarization, and divide society.

“That is exactly why we spoke about the need for transparency - both the state and the public must know how funds entering our country through different organizations are being spent”, he concluded.