Kelly Degnan, US Ambassador to Georgia, told reporters that the draft law on agents and foreign influence is Russia legislation.
“There’s no doubt that the law is causing a lot of concern. Let’s be clear about what the law is not. Transparency is not the goal. It is not about transparency. There are already many reports on what USAID donors who have supported Georgia for years do. Every three months, we present detailed reports to the Parliament detailing our assistance in Georgia. All our Georgian partners are required to submit similar detailed reports to Georgia Revenue Service. Transparency is high in Georgia when it comes to the use of assistance. This information is available on several websites.
“This law is not about the United States’ law either.” The United States law targets lobbyists and law companies that are hired by foreign governments in order to represent their political interests. This is not the purpose of this draft law.
This draft law is Russian Law. This is the law meant to stigmatize the civil society. It’s intended to silence dissenting views and voices.
“This law will stop Georgians from helping Georgians to improve their communities, or their society. This law, for example, will stop legal assistance to Georgians who are in need. This law will stop independent centers that work with local governments to offer services to families of people with disabilities that need support the government cannot provide at this time. This law would stop medical research that was co-funded by Georgian universities and donors. This law would stop tourism agents, farmers associations and NGOs who are working on climate change or the environment. This law would affect a wide range of people.
The Ambassador asked: “The real question is, does Georgia need this law at all when there is already enough transparency and deep cooperation and communication between donors and those who are working to improve Georgian communities and society?”
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