“No Georgian NGO has the right to betray to anyone, just as no one has the right to exploit them for propaganda purposes to tarnish the non-governmental sector’s reputation,” Giorgi Sharashidze, a member of the Gakharia for Georgia party, emphasised.

Sharashidze stated that the development of independent NGOs and the media should be in everyone’s best interest.

“I’m not sure who worked between 2001 and 2005, or how they operated; it’s difficult to speak on this matter. It would be helpful if he named the specific period and the organisations he refers to. I’m uncertain about the timeframe he’s discussing. If he’s referring to Georgia, I don’t fully understand his point either. Perhaps he’s speaking about general practices, but that makes it hard to comment. If he’s talking about Georgia, I’d like him to specify the years and to name the organisations involved, both non-governmental and media outlets, if it’s true that they were bribed by some foreign power.

If that’s the case, then of course, it’s entirely unacceptable and condemnable; such actions are inadmissible. No Georgian NGO has the right to betray to anyone, regardless of who they are, and no one has the right to use this as propaganda to discredit the sector.

A free, independent, and robust non-governmental sector is an essential part of democracy. Its development should be in everyone’s interest. We will discuss specific cases once we understand what was behind them and what was actually happening,” Sharashidze explained.

Retired U.S. Army Colonel and former Head of the U.S. Secretary of State’s Administration (2001–2005), Lawrence Wilkerson, addressed the topic of “how the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) used the media and non-governmental organisations.”