The US Ambassador to Georgia, Robin Dunnigan, has expressed concerns over the spread of misinformation regarding foreign aid in recent months. Speaking in Batumi, western Georgia, on Tuesday, during the opening of a renewed American Corner, Dunnigan highlighted the misconceptions surrounding the controversial Foreign Influence Transparency Law and its impact on US-Georgia relations.
“There has been a lot of misinformation in the past few months, particularly about the Foreign Influence Law and what foreign aid does,” Dunnigan said. “Foreign aid is supporting Georgians with disabilities, helping young people learn English, and preserving Georgian culture. This support is about collaboration, and it is not something negative.”
This is not the first time Ambassador Dunnigan has addressed disinformation about Georgia-US relations, particularly following the controversial adoption of the law initiated and adopted by Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party.
“Unfortunately, there has been misleading information about our relationship with Georgia. Some allege that the US is part of a global war effort or that we are attempting to instigate a revolution here. Such claims are disheartening,” Dunnigan claimed.
Despite international calls, the Georgian Parliament in May overcame the presidential veto on the law which has now been fully enacted. In the past two months, portions of Georgia’s funding from international partners have been suspended.
According to the Foreign Influence Transparency Law, organizations receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from foreign donors must have registered in the Register of Organizations Carrying the Interests of a Foreign Power by September 2. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze claimed more than 450 organizations had expressed their willingness to comply with the registration requirement.
If an organization is found to meet the law’s criteria but fails to register, the agency will do so on its behalf. Unregistered organizations deemed to be “carriers of foreign interest” face a fine of 25,000 GEL.
