PM Kobakhidze says draft Grant Law amendments aim to safeguard Georgia’s sovereignty

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Friday said proposed amendments to the Law on Grants are intended to protect Georgia’s sovereignty from the risks of external interference.

Speaking to journalists, the Prime Minister said the authorities had for years successfully safeguarded the country’s state sovereignty and would continue to do so.

“We must insure our country’s sovereignty against the risks of external interference, and this draft law serves that purpose,” Kobakhidze said.

He added that the legislative initiatives submitted to Parliament are designed to close what he described as mechanisms for circumventing the law. Kobakhidze referred to remarks by a European commissioner, claiming that there had been discussion about ways to bypass existing legislation.

“It is simple: the law that has been initiated serves to shut down such mechanisms. Politics must not be financed in our country, neither directly nor indirectly. When there are open announcements about gross violations of the law, measures must be taken,” the Prime Minister said.