Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Monday said transparency was “the highest standard required of everyone, particularly public organisations”, in comments on the controversial reintroduction of a bill on the transparency of foreign influence.
Davitashvili was making the remark on the initiative which calls for 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, and has been met with public protests.
“Transparency is the highest standard that is required of everyone, especially of public organisations, as they are tasked with matters of public importance to serve the public interest. Therefore, the demand for transparency is legitimate”, he said.
The first reading of the legislative piece was supported last week by 83 MPs in the 150-member lawmaking body, on the backdrop of the protests and criticism by some of the country’s foreign partners.
