Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, stated that foreign political foundations should not engage in political activities within the country. He made these comments regarding the closure of the Tbilisi offices of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

According to Papuashvili, Georgian authorities had proposed that the Adenauer Foundation remove the political component from its projects. The Speaker asserted that the organization could have continued its work in the academic and educational spheres.

"But, by all appearances, they have no interest in the academic or educational direction. As their own statement indicates, their interest lay in carrying out a political mission—essentially saying, 'If we cannot fulfill this mission, we are leaving.' That is their choice," Papuashvili concluded.

He also noted that the Adenauer Foundation is affiliated with Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a member of the European People's Party (EPP)—which he described as a partner organization of Georgia's United National Movement (UNM).

"...and yet this foundation declares that it wants to carry out a political mission in Georgia. In my view, foreign political parties and their foundations have no political mission to fulfill in Georgia," the Speaker emphasized.

The Konrad Adenauer Foundation closed its Tbilisi office on September 30 after more than 20 years of operations in Georgia. The organization stated that the decision was not voluntary but rather the result of political and legal conditions created by the Georgian authorities. According to the foundation, on July 28, the Georgian government rejected its applications for project funding under the new law on grants. KAS stated that continuing operations was only possible if it abandoned projects aligned with the organization's political nature and core mission.

On the same day, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which had been active in Georgia for about 20 years, announced the cessation of its operations in the country. The organization stated that new requirements imposed by Georgian authorities deprived it of the freedom necessary to implement its programs.

Notably, Papuashvili himself had previously worked for German organizations for 17 years: from 2003 to 2007 at the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ), and from 2007 to 2020 at the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ). During his final years at GIZ, he headed the team responsible for Georgia.

The issue concerns amendments to the Georgian Law on Grants, which significantly tightened the rules for receiving foreign funding for the 2025–2026 period. Obtaining foreign grants now requires the prior consent of the Georgian government. Furthermore, the definition of a "grant" was expanded to encompass not only money or property but also technical assistance, specialized knowledge, skills, expertise, services, and other forms of aid provided by foreign organizations.

In April 2026, the Georgian parliament extended these restrictions to funding from foreign embassies and international organizations. The new rules apply to funds that could be used to further the interests of a foreign state or a foreign political party.