Embassies keep silent after Imedi TV inquiry into grants linked to Georgian NGOs

Embassies accredited in Georgia have remained silent for the third consecutive day regarding a letter sent by Imedi TV.

Imedi TV addressed the EU Delegation as well as the embassies of the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and the United Kingdom with the following question:

“Have you, or foundations funded from your country’s state budget, provided grants to organisations registered in Estonia by representatives of Georgian non-governmental organisations?”

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday claimed the European Union was using indirect schemes to exert political influence in Georgia by channeling funds into politics without the consent of the Georgian people.

Papuashvili presented what he described as photo evidence and registration documents showing that several Georgian non-governmental and media organisations were registered at the same address in Estonia, with the address corresponding to a dilapidated, partially ruined building located next to a railway line, which he said raises questions about the credibility of the organisations allegedly registered there.