Georgian Parliament Speaker says revelations from new US administration challenge previous perceptions of foreign aid

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday said the world of foreign aid was no longer the same as it was two weeks ago, highlighting that the revelations from the new United States administration was turning upside down the perceptions some may have had about foreign assistance.

In his remarks over the matter, Papuashvili noted that the US administration had criticised its own foreign aid spending more “harshly, clearly, and explicitly” than the Georgian Government ever had.

“It has exposed schemes that they themselves call fraudulent, criminal, and harmful. In fact, these revelations align with President Trump's executive order, which had already set the groundwork for reviewing how such funds were used to destabilise other countries”, the Speaker said.

Papuashvili further added that, in light of the latest developments, all donor countries were now under suspicion.

“It is impossible that these funds were used in such a manner only through the US budget. In other countries that are involved, we already have reasonable suspicions that there may have been exactly the same malicious intentions that were revealed regarding the money spent from the US budget”, he claimed.

The Speaker denounced the silence from other embassies and donors, calling their lack of response unacceptable.

“The silence from embassies and donor organisations is unacceptable, as they attempt to ignore the developments surrounding foreign aid. The world has changed, and the previous taboo on questioning foreign aid no longer exists. Every donor country is now under scrutiny, bearing the burden of proof to demonstrate transparency and accountability to the Georgian people regarding how their funds were spent”, he continued.

“Moreover, we have evidence that, in addition to American endowments, those from EU member states and European endowments have also been used to fuel destabilisation in Georgia. The European Endowment for Democracy is the most striking example - an endowment that, using intelligence methods, covertly funds radical political parties and groups”, Papuashvili noted.

The Speaker revealed that he had formally requested the EU Ambassador to disclose EED’s funding details in Georgia but was denied after months of deliberation.

In conclusion, Papuashvili emphasised that all donor organisations and countries funding projects in Georgia should now follow the precedent set by the new US administration.