Chairman Papuashvili Calls Senators' Warning on Foreign Agents Bill Surprising and Disappointing
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, April 29, 2024
Parliament Chairman Shalva Papuashvili responded to a letter from 14 senators, who warned that if the reintroduced foreign agents bill becomes law, they will advocate for a change in US policy toward Georgia. Papuashvili described the letter as surprising and disappointing in his response.
"Of course, such positions are somewhat surprising and disappointing. It's surprising because a country with stricter laws encourages us not to pass such a law.
It is disappointing because the values that are often talked about and that they talk to us about are not fully within the framework of these values itself, where transparency is the defining principle, and where the rule of law and democracy are the main principles.
In the end, it is crucial for us, once again, to have transparency in this area, and in the light of these calls, it is surprising that instead of so many calls, it would be easier for even the Congress or the Senate to take care of and publicize the money coming from the American budget to Georgia," Papuashvili said.
Papuashvili once again accused the National Endowment for Democracy of concealing financial information and breaking their promise on transparency.
"We sometimes learn by chance that money from the US budget, the money of American citizens, is spent in a roundabout way on financing parties, radical groups, and disinformation groups, which, of course, is not good for Georgian society and ultimately casts a shadow on American aid to Georgia," he said.
The Parliament Chairman emphasized that despite the 'baseless' international responses and reactions, the prevailing perception suggests that certain organizations actively avoid transparency.
"There remains a perception that the real problem is not with the law and its compliance with values, but rather that certain organizations do not want their finances to be made public. Transparency is beneficial on one hand, but it is avoided by those who hide something.
Therefore, if you think about it, we will find that behind the loudest critics of this law are the funds that hide their money in Georgia," Papuashvili said.
