“Saying nothing about the opacity surrounding NGOs and relevant media outlets, it allows them to engage in activities fundamentally detrimental to the interests of the Georgian state and society,” said Georgian Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, during Wednesday’s press point.
“These include promoting drug use, propagating LGBT agendas, continuously attacking the Orthodox Church, interfering politically with religious matters, attempting to destabilize state institutions, and obstructing the implementation of strategic economic projects, among others,” the PM explained.
“Preventing a few violent actions by the radical opposition now is preferable to allowing Georgia to spiral into radicalism and perpetual polarization. It’s our responsibility as the Government of Georgia to honor the mandate given to us by the voters to govern the country and ensure stability and progress for all.
Furthermore, as previously noted, the radical political minority is currently expending the violent resources they had intended to reserve until the end of October. This effectively thwarts the revolutionary scenario they had prepared for the elections.
Transparency stands as one of the fundamental European values. There’s no evidence to suggest that requiring NGOs to publish a declaration once a year contradicts European principles. Nevertheless, certain foreign politicians and officials persist in spreading defamatory and negative statements regarding the draft law on transparency.
Over the span of three years, radical parties, NGOs, and certain media outlets remained active within the country. Despite their disruptive presence, Georgia’s nominal economy doubled in dollar value from 2021 to 2023. However, without the hindrance of revolutionary efforts, the economy could have expanded by at least an additional 5 billion USD during this period. This would have resulted in an extra billion dollars annually for the state budget, enabling significant expansion of existing state programs and projects. Thus, the opacity surrounding NGOs not only poses political challenges for Georgia but also serves as a substantial impediment to economic development and budgetary growth,” the PM added.
