Georgia’s ruling party official: around 400 NGOs registered in Transparency Registry have nothing to hide, but ‘rich NGOs’ only cause harm

Levan Machavariani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party and Deputy Chair of the parliamentary faction of the ruling party, on Friday said that about 400 domestic non-governmental organisations had registered in the Transparency Registry “with nothing to hide”, but there were also so-called “rich NGOs” that “are engaged only in harmful activities” in the country.

In his remarks, Machavariani accused these organisations of serving “their foreign masters” and claimed there was “no line” between them and the “collective United National Movement”, effectively calling them an extension of the opposition party. He alleged that for years such NGOs had been involved in “staging revolutionary scenarios, participating in them, pushing propaganda contrary to our identity, and insulting the Church”.

“About 400 NGOs have registered in the Transparency Registry, and they have nothing to hide. Unfortunately, there are also those we call so-called rich NGOs, which do nothing but harm the country. They serve their foreign masters entirely. The line between them and the collective United National Movement has been erased - they are effectively a subdivision of this party”, the official said.

“Over the years, if we look back at their activities, it’s been staging revolutionary scenarios, participating in them, imposing propaganda against our identity, insulting the Church, and then, if it happened to coincide with Easter days, standing at rallies with candles, singing hymns - these same NGO representatives who have been insulting the Patriarch for years”, Machavariani concluded.

Six non-governmental organisations on Friday issued a statement stating that they would not register as agents of foreign interests.