Georgian FM dismisses claims of restricted rights for NGOs in Georgia, citing German funding questions

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Thursday said if non-governmental organisations were conducting beneficial activities for Georgian society and the state, then there was no conceivable reason for this information to be hidden from the public, especially from the very taxpayers who fund these activities.

In her remarks, Botchorishvili firmly rejected claims that rights were restricted in Georgia or that NGOs were unable to operate freely.

“It is a lie that anyone's rights are restricted in Georgia and that non-governmental organisations do not have the possibility to carry out their activities freely”, the Minister said.

Botchorishvili suggested that the need for transparency extends beyond Georgia, indicating that answers provided by the German Government regarding funding in Georgia raise “even more questions”.

“The transparency we are talking about is needed not only by our society; apparently, it is also needed by the German society and other societies whose taxpayers' money is actually financing activities in Georgia that are not declared. This is very regrettable”, she continued.

She reiterated the core argument for disclosure by saying that “If, on the one hand, we are told that these organisations are carrying out beneficial and good activities for the Georgian society, for the Georgian state, it is inconceivable that this should need to be hidden from the Georgian society and, moreover, from the society that pays taxes precisely for the financing of these activities”.