Parliament official claims National Endowment for Democracy funding domestic “extremist” NGOs

Beka Odisharia, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Diaspora and Caucasus Affairs Committee, on Monday claimed the United States-based National Endowment for Democracy was funding domestic “extremist” non-governmental organisations.

Odisharia’s comments came after the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week alleged the NED had “rallied support for and instigated protests in Georgia against the foreign agents bill” earlier this year, in reference to the controversial law on transparency of foreign influence, which requires registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.

In his remarks over the matter, Odisharia said it was “regrettable” that NED was “using the same methods as in other regions in relation to [the US’] strategic partner”.

It is regrettable that NED often funds extremist non-governmental organisations, as well as such fake organisations as Transparency International Georgia”, he claimed.

The Parliament official further commented on an inquiry issued last week by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project regarding the property of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Honorary Chair and founder of the Georgian Dream party, by saying that the funding of the so-called investigative team was “particularly disturbing”.

He added the report was an “insult not only to the ruling Georgian Dream party, but also to the Georgian public”, as Ivanishvili was “respected in the public as a philanthropist”.