"They are trying to artificially sow hatred in Georgia through grants and NGOs, using Soviet methods. Therefore, this law is not about grants, it is about opposing hatred,” – said Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze, commenting on the planned amendments to the “Law on Grants,” which would require foreign grants to be approved by the government or an authorized official appointed by it.

According to him, this law is a very important step forward to prevent the artificial incitement of hatred in society.

“We will not allow anyone to use grants and NGOs to artificially sow hatred and divide society in Georgia.This law is a very significant step forward to resist the artificial spread of hatred in our society,” the Prime Minister stated.

Kobakhidze also emphasized that NGOs and opaque external funding must never become a tool for destabilizing the country.

“We heard the acknowledgment by the new U.S. administration regarding the actions of the previous administration.The new administration directly stated that USAID and NED funds were used to fuel revolutionary processes and destabilize countries.This is a direct admission. Now we are seeing similar acknowledgments from European structures.Everything is as clear as day. You can see who is funding the organizations in Georgia that are engaged in radicalization and sowing hatred. These are the wealthiest NGOs.

Even political parties were funded by certain foundations in violation of the constitution.Everything is already out in the open, but we must ensure complete transparency so that Georgia’s security is fully protected.This is a matter of national security. NGOs, external financing, opaque funding must never be used as instruments to destabilize the country.

We have opposed this in the past and we will oppose it even more firmly in the future,” – Kobakhidze stated.