Ruling party leader Kirtskhalia claims large-scale foreign funding aimed at turning countries into ‘proxy states’

Parliamentary Majority Leader and Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream parliamentary faction Irakli Kirtskhalia has claimed that substantial funding from international organisations was directed towards countries that certain external actors sought to turn into “proxy states”.

Kirtskhalia was commenting on a statement by former US State Department official and cyber security expert Mike Benz, who alleged that protests against the 2024 “foreign influence law” were financed by the American side, specifically by the United States Agency for International Development.

Kirtskhalia said “colossal sums” were channelled not only into Georgia but also into a number of European Union member states through organisations such as the National Endowment for Democracy and the European Endowment for Democracy.

“It has been confirmed that substantial funds were coming from NED, EED and USAID, not only to our country but to many EU member states — to all those countries where the so-called ‘deep state’ had the desire to turn them into proxy states,” Kirtskhalia said.

He further argued that these claims validate earlier accusations made by his party prior to the change of administration in the United States. According to him, certain organisations were shut down due to their alleged involvement in what he described as inappropriate spending of funds aimed at influencing political processes, including regime change or the installation of preferred governments.

Kirtskhalia added that what he called a “difficult legacy” towards both the wider world and Georgia in particular is now being openly discussed, including by representatives of the current US administration.