Georgia’s ruling party official: NGOs benefiting country must operate transparently

Levan Machavariani, the First Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Thursday defended the domestic transparency legislation and announced stricter measures against foreign interference.

Reflecting on the initial passage of the transparency law, Machavariani noted that despite the “hysteria” sparked by wealthy NGOs and opposition parties who labeled it a “Russian law”, public sentiment has shifted.

“Years have passed, and our society is now convinced that there was nothing ‘Russian’ about it. The law was solely intended for transparency”, the official said.

Machavariani emphasised that the Government had an obligation to further protect Georgia’s security and sovereignty from harmful foreign interference.

“The United States has confirmed everything we were talking about in the cases of USAID and the NED, including how they financed revolutionary scenarios in various countries, not only in Georgia”, he said, adding that the Government is tightening regulations specifically in this direction.

He noted that if a non-governmental organisation is carrying out activities beneficial to the country, transparency should be in its own interest so that society can clearly see which projects it is working on. Machavariani stressed that agreeing on grants with the Government should not pose a problem, as donors coordinate with the Government on grants that are beneficial to the country, and such grants will remain permissible.

“The approach toward threats voiced by European bureaucrats is becoming stricter, and we must safeguard our country in all directions”, Machavariani concluded.