“The society’s mood revealed on April 29, when 200,000 people gathered on Rustaveli Avenue and backed both this [Transparency] law and the approaches of the parliamentary majority,” said Shalva Papuashvili, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia.

According to the Speaker, the meetings in the regions also unveil the citizens’ mood. “Georgians believe it is their right to know what foreign funds are spent on. I speak on behalf of the Georgian people.”

“As for the rallies, unfortunately, we see a wave of disinformation campaigns, including those stemming from overseas. There is zero substantive discussion, it is simply talking with placards and slogans that something is not in line with European values. This is absolutely superficial talking without content.

Furthermore, this is an attempt to speak to the Georgian people from a certain pedestal, as if something does not match European principles.

No one has an exclusive right to talk about European values with Georgian people. Georgian people are European people. What is in the interest of the Georgian people is in the interest of the European future.

It is in the interest of the Georgian people that the foreign money is transparent. No one has the right to enter Georgia, spend money quietly for political purposes, and not even consider a Georgian worthy to inform of what the money is spent on.

This attitude is exactly Russian – come here with suitcases, spend money and don’t tell the Georgian people what you’re spending it on,” Papuashvili said.