Speaker of the Georgian Parliament emphasised the necessity of adopting various legislative initiatives aimed at “strengthening democracy, combating disinformation, and restricting foreign interference in state institutions”.

“Over the next 2 months, the Parliament plans to work on various legislative initiatives aimed at strengthening democracy, combating disinformation, and restricting foreign interference in state institutions - a challenge that has become a global concern.

The scandalous revelations that we have recently seen from the new US administration regarding the misuse of US foreign aid are certainly a signal to us that it is important to look at our legislation and be prepared to ensure that democracy can protect itself from external interference.

The revelations had confirmed that US foreign aid had been used by some organizations to exert their influence in other countries… To do this, they have used various organizations on the ground, which were established for the exact purpose of serving foreign interests, whether it be non-profit organizations or media outlets”, - said Shalva Papuashvili.

He also addressed the possibility of adopting a law similar to the US Act by saying that “we will take the FARA legislation word for word and implement it in Georgia, and if anyone has concerns, they can forward them to the US Government or its Embassy in Georgia for clarification”.