'NGOs are artificial phenomenon' — Georgia to shut down grants management agency
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Kobakhidze announced on 17 September that the state agency responsible for managing grants would close by the end of the year. He said the agency was already “on standby”. Its head, Tamar Zodelava, will become a deputy justice minister.
The agency was established in February 2025. Its stated aim was to “support, through the state budget, public organisations operating in Georgia whose activities align with the country’s development priorities”.
“The very concept of this structure — a non-governmental organisation — is an artificial phenomenon. The only possible purpose of an NGO is to interfere in the affairs of another state. That is why they were originally created.
There were no organisations of this kind 100 years ago. They were later established and began to be used as the main tool of foreign interference. We have seen many examples of this in Georgia. Therefore, it is wrong for us to finance such activities, which is why we made this decision,” Irakli Kobakhidze said.
Georgia’s PM Kobakhidze takes aim at NGOs
