“CSOs are an artificial phenomenon”: Georgia to close its grant funding agency

17.09.2026

Article published on the jamnews.net/ru website

On 17 September, Georgia’s Prime Minister, Irakli Kobakhidze, announced that the State’s grant giving agency is to close by the end of the year, saying that the body was already “on hold”. Its head, Tamar Zodelava, is to be appointed Deputy Justice Minister.

The agency was established in February last year, with its stated aim being to “provide State funding to CSOs whose work was aligned with the country’s development priorities”.

“This agency, a CSO body, is, in itself, an artificial phenomenon. The main purpose of non-governmental organisations can be the involvement of one State in the affairs of another, which is why they were created in the first place”.

“No such bodies existed a hundred years ago. They were later established and began to be used as the main tool for foreign interference and we have seen many examples of this in Georgia. We therefore believe it is wrong to fund such activities, which is why we have come to this decision”, said the Prime Minister.

Source: https://jamnews.net/ru