The Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papashvilli, stated the importance of developing an international standard based on the principles of sovereignty, transparency, and accountability for regulating foreign interference and foreign funding.
elchi reports that Papashvilli spoke about this during his speech at the European Conference of Speakers of Parliaments of Council of Europe member states held in Rome.
According to Sh. Papashvilli, secret foreign funding poses serious risks to democracy and state sovereignty. He stated that ensuring the transparency of foreign financial sources is not a departure from democratic values, but rather a means of protecting them.
The Speaker of Parliament noted that disinformation, cyberattacks, secret funding, and foreign interference are mutually reinforcing hybrid threats. He cited the elections held in Georgia two years ago as an example, stating that unfounded claims of election irregularities deepen polarization in society and are aimed at undermining public trust in the electoral process.
Sh. Papashvilli emphasized that a number of countries, including Australia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have tightened their legislation on foreign funding and transparency. According to him, states must obtain information about the finances and influence entering the country’s political space and ensure accountability in this area.
“It is time to create an international standard based on the principles of respect for sovereignty, transparency of foreign interference and funding, accountability, and consent,” he noted.