Parliament Committee Chair says foreign grants must serve public interest, not staging revolutions

Archil Gorduladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee, on Wednesday addressed the proposed amendments to the law on grants, which sparked strong reactions from domestic non-governmental organisations.

In his remarks, Gorduladze noted that NGOs were rightfully concerned that they would no longer be able to receive the kind of grants they previously relied on as only grants that serve the interests of the Georgian people will be permitted in the country - grants that contribute to national welfare, rather than those aimed at inciting revolution.

“There’s a good saying: “every one’s faults are written on their foreheads”. We tabled a bill that requires any organisation acting against the interests of the Georgian people to seek the Government approval before receiving grants. And right away, these groups revealed themselves - openly declaring that they receive grants to act against the public interest. This alone proves why such funding must be prohibited”, the Parliament official said.

He further claimed that certain NGOs, since their inception, had sought to destabilise the situation in the country, “guided in part by statements made by figures like Laura Thornton [Laura Thornton]”.

“Their goal is to collapse the economy and worsen the social situation to pave the way for the collective UNM [opposition] to come to power. They have no other path but to provoke a bloody revolution in our country. That’s what these organisations have been spending money on”, Gorduladze noted.

He further emphasised that moving forward, only grants serving the Georgian public would be allowed.

“They’re right to be concerned. From now on, in Georgia, only grants that serve the people will be accepted - not ones used to incite unrest”, Gorduladze concluded.

Irakli Kirtskhalia, the Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Monday announced a package of legislative amendments aimed at regulating the process of grant allocation by foreign donors.

Kirtskhalia noted that once the proposed amendments come into effect, both foreign and domestic legal entities will no longer be permitted to fund lectures, seminars, or similar public events that serve partisan political interests.