MP Irakli Kadagishvili: State Department’s statement confirms Georgia’s position on NGOs as instruments of external interference

“The statement by the U.S. State Department demonstrates that the Georgian government was articulating precisely the same stance, that NGOs have ceased to be necessary support organisations for society and have instead become direct instruments of interference in the country’s internal affairs,” stated MP Irakli Kadagishvili, Chairman of the Parliament’s Self-Government Committee.

According to him, it was precisely this kind of interference that caused NGOs to lose their primary purpose and transform into tools of manipulation.

“When we called for transparency in their funding, naturally, they opposed it. Why did they resist? – It’s all quite clear on the surface. The U.S. State Department states that these NGOs are tools for political manipulation, interference in legislative processes, and influencing the sovereignty of other nations. In relation to Georgia, it was said that the organisation of protests was funded from abroad. The paradox was that people were being mobilised under the banner of demanding freedom, yet we were not supposed to uncover who was financing it all. This had a significant impact on Georgia, but it is reassuring that we managed to withstand it. It is also positive that America is now officially recognising and condemning this damaging practice,” Kadagishvili concluded.