MP Guram Macharashvili: If the US requires stricter FARA enforcement, imagine how vital transparency legislation is for Georgia

“The move to tighten FARA in the United States once again confirms that our decisions were unequivocally correct,” stated MP Guram Macharashvili, Executive Secretary of the People’s Power party.

Macharashvili noted that the People’s Power 2023 bill passed by Parliament was based on the US FARA model, but was nevertheless condemned by both domestic opponents and foreign entities.

“I wish to remind the public that in 2023 we initiated a bill on transparency, subsequently passing an exact equivalent of the American FARA, which foreign forces and the Georgian opposition rejected all the same.

If a global power like the United States requires such a law, imagine how indispensable it is for Georgia, a nation that, regrettably, sits directly at the cross-section of competing foreign geopolitical interests,” Macharashvili declared.

As a reminder, the US Department of Justice issued a statement noting: “Laws require individuals to register as foreign agents when acting in the United States under the direction and control of a foreign government or foreign entity.” Furthermore, Congressman Anna Paulina Luna has drafted a bill to tighten FARA regulations, which could potentially extend to influencers.