Georgian Parliament official: US FARA tightening reinforces need for transparency laws, undercuts criticism of Georgia

Davit Matikashvili, the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Procedural Issues and Rules, said on Saturday that recent amendments tightening the United States’ Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) validate the need for transparency legislation and challenge criticism that had been levelled against Georgia’s similar law.

The remarks came in response to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s approval of a bipartisan bill aimed at strengthening safeguards against foreign influence and increasing transparency requirements for agents representing countries including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba.

“The tightening of FARA legislation in the United States has once again exposed the flaws in the harmful narrative promoted by radicals both within Georgia and abroad, together with their sponsors in the Euro-bureaucracy and the Biden administration, during the adoption of Georgia’s transparency law. They labelled the legislation a ‘Russian law’, despite the fact that it was a direct translation of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act”, he said.

The official further noted that transparency legislation is in force in a number of countries, including the United States, France, Canada and several European Union member states, where such measures are regarded as a standard regulatory mechanism for ensuring accountability and public oversight.

“For the United States, France, Canada and various European Union member states, transparency legislation is considered a necessary and legitimate regulatory instrument. Yet when Georgia sought to adopt similar legislation, it was portrayed by critics as a step backwards for democracy”, Matikashvili concluded.