Georgian Parliament Speaker slams US MEGOBARI Act as 'information noise'

The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, on Thursday criticized the US MEGOBARI Act, describing it as a measure designed to generate “information noise” rather than deliver substantive outcomes. His remarks follow the passage of the Act by the US House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press briefing, Papuashvili claimed that the Act, which he said “encourages cooperation between Georgia's parliamentary opposition and majority parties”, lacks real content. 

"This Act has only one purpose, which is to create information noise," Papuashvili claimed. He argued that the Act served as a platform for briefings by what he described as “radical opposition” and “foreign-funded NGOs,” suggesting that it was intended to provoke reactions from international organizations, including the European Commission.

The Georgian Parliament Speaker went on to assert that the Act did not hold any legal force to compel the US President to impose sanctions on any individuals, nor does it extend new powers to the US President. "Just as it was previously a matter of the US President’s authority to decide whether to sanction someone or not, so it will be in the future," he explained, characterizing the Act as a rhetorical tool rather than a functional piece of legislation.

Papuashvili also accused US Congressman Joe Wilson, who has initiated the Act, of engaging in "Orwellian newspeak," suggesting that the Act’s title and content were misaligned. He further criticized Wilson for relying on USAID, an organization Papuashvili labeled as fraudulent and accused of undermining democracy, for guidance on Georgia policy.

Furthermore, Papuashvili questioned the opposition’s commitment to the principles outlined in the MEGOBARI Act. "If this Act is a Bible for the opposition, where are they? We don’t see them in parliament," he said, implying that the opposition had failed to engage in the collaborative spirit the Act encouraged.

The MEGOBARI Act, formally titled the Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgia’s Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence Act, is a bipartisan US legislative initiative “aimed at supporting democratic governance and countering authoritarian influence in Georgia.”