Georgian Parliament Speaker claims US-funded organizations ‘undermined democracy’, calls for ‘reset’ in bilateral relations

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday claimed that relations between Georgia and the United States had deteriorated due to the actions of US-funded organizations such as USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which he accused of “undermining Georgia’s democratic institutions and sowing division within society.”

In a public statement, Papuashvili asserted that the organizations had contributed to alleged internal discord by pitting groups against each other, ultimately damaging the strategic partnership between the two countries.

“We declare our readiness to start relations from a new page and establish a real, equal, strategic relationship based on respect for each other’s sovereignty,” Papuashvili said. “Not the kind that, unfortunately, the previous US administration viewed Georgia as – a ‘low fence.’”
He welcomed “recent acknowledgments” by the new US administration, suggesting that Washington was “now recognizing concerns Tbilisi has long raised.”

The official further claimed rebuilding trust required a “clear-eyed assessment of the past and a commitment to establishing more balanced, mutually respectful ties going forward.”