Georgian political pundit: FARA filing shows opposition UNM party spending millions against Georgia

Georgia's opposition United National Movement party (UNM) has paid $360,000 to the American lobbying firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, according to documents registered with the US Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Georgian political pundit David Chikhelidze denounced the move in a social media message, arguing that the deal represents “a painful trend” in Georgian politics. According to him, instead of advancing national interests, the UNM is channeling vast sums of money into lobbying efforts abroad in ways that, he says, harm Georgia’s interests.

“A document registered with the United States Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) confirms an important fact: the United National Movement spends millions on hostility against the country! The United National Movement paid the American lobbying company Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP $360,000. This fact is not an ordinary political move. In fact, we are dealing with a painful trend when a political force hires a lobbying company abroad to work against Georgia in order to achieve its own partisan goals”, Chikhelidze said.

He further pointed out that the lobbying documents include claims that Georgia’s elections were held with irregularities, allegations which, he noted, were not confirmed by major international monitoring organisations.

“Through these lobbying structures, UNM seeks to portray Georgia abroad as an undemocratic country. The main problem is that for the sake of its own political goals, the party is ready to damage the international image of the country”, he continued.

“This step indicates not only unhealthy political competition, but also serious hostility towards their own country. The United National Movement has been using this strategy for years where discrediting the Government is tantamount to discrediting the country. As a result, there is a risk of damaging relations with Georgia's partners, which is no longer just a problem for the party, but for the entire country. The United National Movement puts its own interests above the interests of the country. A political force that is ready to spend millions on lobbying against its own state ultimately becomes an enemy of the country's interests”, he concluded.