Georgian PM claims NGOs “only area lacking transparency until now” in country

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday commented on the country being ranked first among 125 states in budget transparency by the International Budget Partnership’s 2023 Open Budget Survey by claiming non-governmental organisations in the country were "the only area lacking transparency until now", in reference to the newly adopted law on transparency of foreign influence.

We are on the first place in the world in terms of budget transparency. This is our common attitude. The only field in the state that was not transparent until now was the field of non-governmental organisations. This area required transparency and the law adopted by the Parliament and initiated by our political team is also important in this regard”, Kobakhidze said.

The law was adopted by the Parliament earlier this month, with 83 MPs supporting and one voting against, on the backdrop of public protests and criticism by some of the country’s foreign partners.

It requires groups “considered to be an organisation pursuing the interests of a foreign power” to be registered in the public registry with the status and publicise their received funding.

Speaking about transparency across institutions, Kobakhidze claimed Georgia was “outstanding in the whole world” in this regard.

• Open Budget Survey: Georgia ranked 1st for budget transparency

This concerns [...] transparency of civil servants, [...] [and] of the Government. I personally made a decision to make all Government decrees and resolutions public and the budget transparency index is another proof of that”, he said.

The PM added transparency was a “European value that should be established” in the country “in absolutely all areas”.