Ruling party Sec Gen highlights concerns over opaque foreign funding

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday raised serious concerns over the issue of non-transparent spending of foreign funds, describing it as a major problem not only in relation to the European Union but also the United States.

Speaking to the media in response to a recent report by the European Court of Auditors, Kaladze emphasised that the issue of financial transparency was a growing global concern.

In his remarks, Kaladze noted that it was no coincidence that the Georgian Government had decided to adopt the law on transparency.

“The problem of non-transparent spending is significant, not only with regard to the European Union but also the United States. Even the President of the United States has addressed this issue”, the ruling party official said.

“Non-governmental organisations were spending funds non-transparently. Primarily, the funds were used to overthrow legitimately elected governments, to implement their policies, and of course, this is very serious. It is no coincidence that we made the decision to introduce the law on transparency, because all the money that comes from abroad goes to finance radical groups and non-governmental organizations, and at the same time, it is not transparent what these funds are spent on. Accordingly, all of this must become public, it must be transparent”, he continued.

Kaladze further added that the Georgian Government would not give anyone the opportunity to destabilise the country, to create chaos, to set people against each other, and to stage revolutions.

“We will maintain peace and tranquility. If anyone wants to change the Government, this should not happen through confrontation and funding from abroad, but through elections, as it happens in normal and developed countries”, he concluded.