Georgian PM: NGOs political tool for foreign interference, financial transparency must be ensured

Georgian prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday said that NGOs were often used as political instruments for foreign interference in a country’s internal affairs, emphasising that all financial matters related to NGOs must be fully transparent.

Kobakhidze’s comments came after the former senior US State Department official Mike Benz, in an interview with Liz Truss, commented on the issue, saying: “Now they claim that Europe needs some kind of transparency law, but 15 months ago, this class of EU bureaucrats was threatening Hungary and Georgia with sanctions for adopting such laws”.

The PM noted that the issue for which the Georgian authorities were criticised was now being actively discussed by European countries.

“Very interesting processes have begun. NGOs, in general, are political instruments for interfering in the internal affairs of foreign countries. Therefore, financial issues related to NGOs must be transparent from beginning to end, which is ensured in our country”, he said.

“It is important to ensure this transparency at the EU level as well. NGOs as a phenomenon were created for this purpose, and it is important to properly regulate all of this. Funding from abroad should not enter the country to finance politics”, the prime minister continued.

He further added that the European Union also needs relevant legislation to prevent external influence in political processes.

“No one should interfere in someone else’s political life”, Kobakhidze concluded.