“The history of the Namakhvani HPP is the best proof that the Transparency Law is the most Georgian law that Parliament could have adopted in recent years, because it serves Georgian interests. What people funded from Brussels did, derailing the most important energy project, will no longer be possible,” Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili told journalists in response to a question concerning stricter FARA regulations in the United States.

According to him, interference in the domestic affairs of one country by another through hybrid methods is becoming increasingly common in the modern world.

“This is another confirmation of a truth that is already evident: in the modern world, interference in the domestic affairs of one country by another through hybrid methods is becoming increasingly widespread. Such methods include funding by one country or political group to pursue its own interests in another country. The United States recognized this earliest, several decades ago, and regulated it through the FARA law, under which any funding intended to influence politics or public affairs must be transparent.

“This is a truth that Brussels, and, incidentally, the previous U.S. administration as well, attempted to distort. The former U.S. ambassador conducted an absolutely false campaign, and let me remind you that Ms. Degnan called the most Georgian law a ‘Russian law.’ They attempted to establish this propaganda narrative in society through NGOs funded by them. But look at the response society ultimately gave to this false narrative. In 2024, we adopted all the relevant legislation and then went to the elections. In those elections, which they themselves declared a referendum, 1.12 million Georgian people supported all these laws that serve the interests of the Georgian people.

“These days, the issue of the Namakhvani HPP was brought up again. Court proceedings are still ongoing, and there is a risk that Georgia could be ordered to pay $400 million to the company that was effectively driven out of the country by foreign-funded agents. In addition to the damage suffered by Georgia because this important energy project was not implemented, the Georgian budget may also have to compensate for the damage caused by foreign-funded organizations.

“At the time, this campaign was coordinated by three NGOs — Green Alternative, the Social Justice Center and the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association. All three were funded by Brussels and several other sources. Today, everyone knows that what they staged at the time was an absolute farce aimed at derailing one of the most important energy projects.

“So, the history of the Namakhvani HPP is the best proof that the Transparency Law is the most Georgian law that Parliament could have adopted in recent years, because it serves Georgian interests. What people funded from Brussels did, derailing the most important energy project, will no longer be possible,” Shalva Papuashvili said.