Georgian PM says Marta Kos’ remarks raise suspicions of continued foreign funding for protests

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday accused the European Commission of seeking ways to circumvent Georgian law in order to continue funding certain organisations, saying European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos’s remarks had raised reasonable suspicions that protests staged by foreign-backed groups in Georgia were still being financed.

“Marta Kos explicitly stated that they were seeking alternative ways to fund certain organisations and directly acknowledged their intention to violate Georgian law. Against this backdrop, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that protests organised by foreign-backed groups in Georgia continue to receive funding in one form or another”, he said.

Kobakhidze described the remarks as reflecting a regrettable and insulting attitude towards the Georgian people on the part of the European bureaucracy, expressing hope that this approach would change in the future.

“This is a regrettable attitude and an insult to the Georgian people on the part of the European bureaucracy. I hope this will change in the future”, the Prime Minister concluded.