Ruling party official claims “deep state” shifts to EU bureaucrats after US administration exposes USAID, NED

Levan Machavariani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and Deputy Chair of the parliamentary faction of the ruling party, on Saturday responded to the Swedish foreign office’s statement on the 100th day of the opposition protests in Georgia, which urged the Government to take immediate steps to resolve the crisis and uphold human rights.

In his remarks, Machavariani claimed that the deep state had undergone a rebranding, shifting its influence from USAID and National Endowment for Democracy (NED) to specific European countries and EU bureaucrats in an attempt to destabilise Georgia.

“When the deep state previously attempted to orchestrate a revolutionary scenario in Georgia through USAID and NED, they failed. Now, they have simply rebranded themselves and are using specific European countries to stir unrest in our society”, the Parliament official said.

Commenting on the recent sanctions imposed by Baltic states, he criticised the inclusion of Olympic weightlifting champion Lasha Talakhadze on the sanctions list, calling it “shameful”. He further alleged that the list was compiled based on recommendations from Georgian opposition figures who had relocated abroad.

Machavariani also referenced the US administration’s recent scrutiny of USAID and NED, claiming that these donor organizations had been exposed for their alleged criminal activities not only in Georgia but in multiple countries.

“Since those organizations can no longer be used as tools for revolution, the deep state has now shifted its focus to Brussels bureaucrats”, he concluded.