Georgia’s ruling party Sec Gen says visa liberalisation “last tool” of European bureaucrats

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday sharply criticised European bureaucrats and certain opposition parties in Georgia, calling the September 13 protest announced by opposition groups, as well as the visa liberalisation issue, “the last tool” being used against Georgia and its people.

Kaladze’s comments came in response to a reported action plan prepared by the Director of Programs at the International Republican Institute (IRI) for the Georgian opposition, which outlines steps for political unrest.

“This is the last tool these European bureaucrats have against Georgia and the Georgian people. Before that, it was the candidate status - they tried to organize a revolution, had a simple message, but nothing worked. Now they are repeating the same scenario, claiming that the Georgian government is to blame. The reality is that the demands and messages we hear have nothing to do with visa liberalization or the European integration process. These are politically motivated, unfair, slanderous, and false statements. This is today’s European bureaucracy”, the ruling party official said.

He also defended the adoption of Georgia’s so-called FARA law, stating that it became necessary because of “hostile narratives” and the inflow of funds aimed at financing extremism and attempts to destabilize the country.

“Who has been oppressed by this so-called FARA law? The law would not have been necessary if not for the hostile narrative coming from certain European countries, senior European officials, and organizations that financed revolutions and coups in Georgia under the guise of doing good deeds. In reality, money was directed to funding extremism, revolution, polarisation, division, and confrontation in society”, he continued.

Kaladze stressed that the FARA law had revealed to the Georgian public that resolutions and defamatory statements against the country were being financed from abroad.

“Of course, the state and its institutions will not allow money to enter Georgia in a non-transparent manner and be used to organize coups, confrontation, and bloodshed. That is why the FARA law was necessary. It has functioned well for decades in the U.S., and now the Georgian people know that some resolutions and slanderous statements by certain congressmen are being financed”, he noted.

Kaladze stressed that while constructive criticism was welcome, deliberate disinformation and glorification of violent actors cannot be tolerated.