Georgian Dream leader calls on EU Delegation to explain funding of events in Georgia

Irakli Kirtskhalia, leader of the parliamentary majority of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party, has called on the EU Delegation to Georgia to explain the standards it applies when funding and organising events in the country, including how it ensures that funding is used for its stated purposes and what responsibility it assumes for public-safety issues.

Kirtskhalia’s comments followed an EU Delegation statement expressing regret over the postponement of the Kamara festival in Gori, organised within the EU-supported “Creative Compass - Georgia” project. The delegation said the festival was postponed by organisers because of security concerns and reaffirmed the EU’s support for freedom of creative expression.

Kirtskhalia questioned how European institutions would respond if an event funded by a foreign diplomatic mission in Brussels featured statements insulting European officials, their political groups and voters.

“We expect specific answers to these questions, rather than general insulting statements about the importance of so-called cultural cooperation,” Kirtskhalia wrote on social media.

He argued that EU-funded projects in Georgia had raised legitimate questions about their objectives, the selection of participants and the use of funding, particularly when projects become the subject of political controversy.

“The EU Delegation should explain what standards it follows when funding and organising events in Georgia, how it ensures their intended purpose is protected, and what responsibility it assumes regarding public safety,” he said.

Kirtskhalia also linked the issue to the broader debate over the normalisation of Georgia-EU relations, saying that such normalisation should be based on mutual respect and political and cultural dialogue rather than cooperation whose terms are determined unilaterally.