Georgian Parliament Speaker: spending money in another country “not just accounting” - donors must take responsibility for actions of NGOs they fund

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday said following the unsuccessful attempts at revolution by opposition parties and media outlets, the stage on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi was now occupied by non-governmental organisations who had initiated another revolutionary scenario.

In his speech during the presentation of the Parliament's annual report, Papuashvili noted that NGOs, which traditionally only focus on the goodwill of donors and lack contact with the people, had once again misjudged the public sentiment, leading to the failure of this latest revolutionary endeavor.

Papuashvili also reflected on Georgia's application for European Union membership alongside Ukraine and Moldova in the wake of Russia's aggression.

He noted that while Ukraine and Moldova were granted EU candidate status in June 2022, Georgia, despite surpassing both countries in various parameters, was left without the status. He argued that this “politically motivated decision” only served to encourage radical movements against national interests and in favour of a “war agenda”.

Papuashvili accused certain civil society organisations, encouraged by EU recommendations calling for their inclusion in all levels of decision-making, of overstepping their mandate.
“Emboldened by such endorsement, they demanded that Parliament dismiss the Government and form a new one with NGO involvement - even with veto power”, the Speaker noted.

Papuashvili further contended that bringing foreign-funded organisations onto the stage of fighting for power was “too much” even for a country as open to donors as Georgia.

“In numerous meetings, both domestically and abroad, we emphasized that spending money in another country is not just accounting - donors must take responsibility for the actions of the NGOs they fund. The simplest path would be transparency in funding and accountability before the Georgian people. Instead, we faced a deaf wall. Donors remained focused on their own agendas, disregarding the concerns of the Georgian public”, he concluded.