“We are suspicious of any financial flows into Georgia, and the blame lies squarely with the donors themselves, who have sullied their own reputation,” Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, told journalists.

Papuashvili commented on a letter sent by four U.S. senators and two congressmen to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging him to seek guarantees from the Georgian authorities that former U.S. Foreign Service employees and other USAID personnel would not be slandered or targeted.

“Regarding the large-scale transfers coming from various countries to Georgia, I must ask, did we close USAID, or was it the new U.S. administration that did so? The accusations against USAID have been that they attempt to destabilise other nations and act as tools to change governments and sway populations. Therefore, our suspicion of any financial flow into Georgia is entirely the fault of the donors themselves, who have tarnished their own reputations. The Georgian people view any movement of donor funds with suspicion. It is precisely because of the actions of EU ambassadors and various international donors, who have so severely tarnished their reputations, that such transactions raise alarm among Georgians, whether it is a mere coincidence that these funds might be aimed at undermining our democracy,” Papuashvili asked.

Furthermore, Papuashvili explained that the attempt to overthrow the government on October 4, along with several previously announced revolutions, failed partly because the State Security Service remains vigilant and views such transactions with suspicion, which he said is their duty.

“Our expectation and demand is that the security services always closely monitor such transactions. The head of the Security Service spoke in detail about this matter, indicating that large sums of money are being transferred to various institutions, including legislative bodies. There are clear questions about the purpose of these transfers. The donors, who have damaged their own reputation, are ultimately to blame for this situation.

It was revealed, for example, that during protests in December, funds were used to purchase equipment for resisting police, all financed by EU money. It has also been confirmed that disinformation and propaganda are funded through foreign grants, with false narratives about elections being financed by donors. So, do not look for the problem in the Georgian people, look within yourselves, and ask why you have so damaged your own reputation,” concluded Papuashvili.