“The Council of Europe should explain how funding the political project of a radical politician is compatible with promoting civic dialogue, and what message it sends to society when it funds a politician who rejects election results and describes the government as a Russian regime,” Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili wrote on social media, commenting on the activities of the Tbilisi School of Political Studies, which operates under the auspices of the Council of Europe in Georgia.

In his assessment, such support only strengthens political radicalism and extremism and undermines the impartiality and credibility of the Council of Europe itself.

“Once again, to fully understand the scale of the controversy surrounding the gathering in Bakhmaro, regardless of whether the Council of Europe violated the law:

The Council of Europe is funding a gathering organized in Bakhmaro by Armaz Akhvlediani and presenting it as a project promoting ‘civic dialogue.’

We are talking about a politician who was a member of the Parliament elected in 2020 on the party list of the Giga Bokeria faction of the United National Movement, while in the 2024 parliamentary elections he ran directly on the party list of ‘dictator’ Saakashvili.

Two years ago, on election night, he stated: ‘Ivanishvili’s police regime has been defeated, although it shamelessly refuses to acknowledge it and, through its obedient CEC, declares victory. All four victorious opposition parties are now obliged to prevent Georgian Dream from seizing power.’ Before that, he had also refused to recognize the 2020 election results.

The Council of Europe should explain how funding the political project of a radical politician is compatible with promoting civic dialogue, and what message it sends to society when it funds a politician who rejects election results and describes the government as a Russian regime.

It is clear that such support only strengthens political radicalism and extremism and undermines the impartiality and credibility of the Council of Europe itself,” Papuashvili wrote on social media.

For reference, the Tbilisi School of Political Studies was established as a non-governmental organization in 1999. The school operates under the auspices of the Council of Europe and is headed by politician Armaz Akhvlediani.

A seminar held in Bakhmaro last week became the subject of criticism from government representatives, including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Shalva Papuashvili. According to the government, under the Law on Grants, funding for the Tbilisi School of Political Studies by the Council of Europe required the government’s approval, which, it says, had not been obtained.

It should also be noted that the Financial Transparency Department of the State Audit Office has launched monitoring of the Tbilisi School of Political Studies. According to the agency, the monitoring was initiated over the alleged receipt of a grant by the non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entity “Union Tbilisi School of Political Studies” without the approval of the Georgian government. The agency also said that the State Audit Office will question all individuals who may possess information relevant to the school’s funding.