In his response to inquiries about Georgia's controversial foreign transparency bill, Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the Georgian Dream ruling party, clarified the context surrounding foreign funding regulations.

In his comments on Monday, Mdinaradze assured that Georgia had drawn inspiration from the United States' Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which he said mandated media outlets with over 20 percent foreign funding to register and disclose information. 

However, he underscored a “crucial distinction” regarding Russia's approach - as opponents call the bill a “Russian law” -  noting that Russia did not have a similar reservation in its legislation.

"While we have incorporated elements of the FARA practice into Georgian law, it is essential to recognize the divergence, particularly concerning Russia. Unlike the United States, Russia does not have an equivalent provision," Mdinaradze responded to a journalist's question.The lawmaker  also emphasized the GD proposal differed from both US and French legislation, with no direct parallel to the restrictions outlined in FARA or similar international laws.

"In contrast to certain jurisdictions like the US and France, Georgia's bill does not encompass identical provisions. We do not enforce the same level of restrictions on foreign funding transparency," Mdinaradze clarified.

He further reiterated that Georgia's legislation did not impose criminal liabilities or specific prohibitions akin to those observed in FARA or comparable statutes. ”Any claims suggesting otherwise are unfounded," Mdinaradze concluded.

The bill calls for the registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “aligned with interests of a foreign power” if they obtain more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad. Previously the bill, which was rejected last year due to mass protests,  branded the organizations as “foreign agents”.