Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said, “Transparency is first and foremost a responsibility of friends and accountability towards the society.”
“Transparency cannot be aimed against anyone, especially it cannot distinguish enemies from friends. Transparency is equally applicable to everyone – friends and foe, including subjects with or without integrity. Claiming that the Government of Georgia is not fully transparent towards the society is not valid as you may well be aware that we publish every Government Decree. It does not mean that we deem ourselves as enemies of someone. Transparency is first and foremost a responsibility of friends and accountability towards society,” the PM noted.
Kobakhidze asserted that the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence “will provide significant assistance to make sure that state sovereignty is protected from various sides.”
“As for the influence of pro-Russian forces in Georgia, I wish to remind you that nation-wide elections were held since 2012, in 2012, 2013 and 2014, whereby pro-Russian parties and candidates were getting 20 percent of votes. It was happening in the first years of our governance. Pro-Russian forces have practically disappeared from the political scene nowadays. The only organization which was active in recent periods was Alt-Info. It has existential problems nowadays.
I also wish to note that the sovereignty of Georgia faces challenges in a number of directions. I intentionally wish to stay away from spelling out what I mean here. Even in the realm, which I am not intentionally specifying due to objective reasons, the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence will provide significant assistance to make sure that state sovereignty is protected from various sides.
As for the West, it was referred to by the opposition, claiming that we deem the West to be an enemy. Once again, let me repeat that transparency is not a criteria for distinguishing friends and foe. In the first instance, friends should be transparent. It is a responsibility of a friend towards Georgian society,” the PM stated.
