US State Department rejects Georgian Gov’t allegations to USAID as “false”

The Deputy Spokesman of the US State Department, Vedant Patel, on Tuesday rejected the allegations by the Georgian Government to USAID over its alleged funding of training in Tbilisi for a potential unrest this fall as “false”. 

 

He stressed the US Embassy in Tbilisi had made a “clear comment” over the issue, and that the allegations “completely misinterpret the goals of our support to Georgia”. 

 

“As always, our support is transparent. We will continue to support those Georgian organizations that work to protect the fundamental rights defined by the Constitution of Georgia and international obligations”, the official said. 

 

In its comments earlier this week, the Embassy said the allegations voiced towards USAID were “false and fundamentally mischaracterize the goals of our assistance to Georgia”. 

 

“USAID has been supporting the Georgian people since 1992. As always, our assistance is transparent, and we welcome any opportunities to discuss any concerns the government may have”, it said. 

 

The Georgian State Security Service on Monday claimed USAID funded a training facilitated by Serbian activists from organisation Canvas for a “large group of individuals and NGOs” in Tbilisi in late September, who the agency said would be used to spark an unrest in November and December, if the EU rejected Georgia’s candidacy. 

 

In its statement, the US Embassy said USAID had collaborated with Canvas for more than two years to “help people to speak up for the issues that matter to their families and communities. We have partnered with CANVAS to deliver training to mothers advocating for better cancer treatments for children, and to people advocating for the rights of elderly citizens in their communities”.