“In the contemporary world, hybrid interference by one nation into the internal affairs of another is escalating rapidly. Among these methods is foreign state or political funding deployed to advance external agendas within another country,” stated Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, commenting on US foreign agent legislation, which mandates that individuals register as foreign agents.
“The United States recognised this earlier than anyone. Drawing on lessons from abroad, Washington regulated this issue decades ago through FARA, ensuring that any foreign funding intended to influence politics or public policy must be fully transparent. That is an indisputable truth that Brussels attempted to distort. The previous US administration likewise waged an entirely fraudulent campaign.
As a reminder, former US Ambassador Kelly Degnan in 2023 branded what is fundamentally the most patriotic Georgian law as a ‘Russian law’. They then attempted to embed this propaganda narrative within Georgian society through their funded NGOs. Yet look at how the public ultimately responded: in 2024, we passed all relevant legislation and proceeded to the polls. The electorate, 1.12 million citizens, endorsed these transparency laws and regulations in what amounted to a national referendum,” Papuashvili stated.
The Speaker went on to assert that the Transparency Law is the most quintessentially Georgian piece of legislation recently passed by Parliament.
“In recent days, we were reminded of the Namakhvani HPP affair, where court proceedings remain ongoing. Georgia faces the risk of being ordered to pay USD 400 million from the state budget to a company effectively driven out by foreign-funded operatives. In addition to forfeiting a vital piece of energy infrastructure, the Georgian taxpayer may now be required to cover liabilities arising from the actions of organisations operating under foreign sponsorship.
At the time, the campaign was spearheaded by three foreign-funded NGOs: Green Alternative, the Social Justice Center [Social Justice Centre], and GYLA [the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association]. Everyone now sees the farce they orchestrated: complete disinformation, a true hybrid attack on Georgia to sabotage a crucial energy project, and Brussels-funded groups succeeded in derailing it.
The Namakhvani HPP saga is the clearest proof that the Transparency Law is the most uniquely Georgian law that the Parliament could have passed. It serves national interests, ensuring that such sabotage by Brussels-funded actors can never happen again,” Papuashvili concluded.
As a reminder, the US Department of Justice recently issued a statement confirming that individuals acting within the US under the direction or control of foreign governments or foreign principals are legally required to register as foreign agents. At the same time, US Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has introduced draft legislation to tighten FARA enforcement, which could extend compliance obligations to social media influencers.
