International organizations that were once genuinely created for political and democratic purposes and continued to operate accordingly have today been transformed into mechanisms of political propaganda in the hands of certain political establishments, said Davit Matikashvili, Chair of the Parliament’s Procedural Issues Committee, speaking to journalists. He was commenting on the U.S. decision to withdraw from 66 organizations, including the Venice Commission.

According to him, the Venice Commission, which should be focused on legal matters and provide appropriate legal analysis, has moved into political propaganda.

“International organizations that were once truly established for political and democratic purposes and continued their work are today turned into mechanisms of political propaganda in the hands of certain political establishments. This is exactly what the current U.S. administration and President Trump pointed out when the United States withdrew from dozens of international organizations and called them ineffective and wasteful of funds - and this is the truth.

For example, the Venice Commission is a very clear and vivid case: an organization operating under the Council of Europe, which should be dealing with legal issues and providing relevant analysis, has shifted to political propaganda. This political propaganda was clearly evident in the conclusions it adopted regarding laws passed in Georgia. Instead of appealing to legal matters, the Venice Commission addressed political situations and developments. From this single example alone, it is clear how far the Venice Commission and many other international organizations have strayed from the purposes for which they were originally created,” Matikashvili stated.

For reference, the United States is withdrawing from 66 organizations, including the Venice Commission. “President Trump announced that the U.S. is leaving 66 anti-American, useless, or wasteful international organizations,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on social media. According to Rubio, discussions regarding other international organizations are also ongoing.