The Council of Europe has responded to an inquiry by Georgian journalists regarding a seminar held in the resort town of Bakhmaro. Earlier, an investigation was launched into the event’s organizers—the Tbilisi School of Political Studies—over a potential violation of the Law on Grants.
A letter from the Council of Europe to the media outlet Publika states that the Bakhmaro meeting did not involve the disbursement of grants or honorariums. The seminar, titled “A Choice in Favor of Democratic Culture,” was held as part of the 2024–2027 Action Plan, prepared on the basis of close consultations with the Georgian authorities.
The CoE noted that the conference was a joint event organized under the Council of Europe project “Promoting Civil Dialogue in Georgia” and the Tbilisi School of Political Studies.
“The seminar is directly implemented and supported by the Council of Europe as one of the project’s activities, while the Tbilisi School of Political Studies serves as a partner and host of the event.
The event does not involve the transfer of a grant to any host organization in Georgia.
Attendance at the seminar was strictly by invitation only, and the event was not open to the media. Invitations were sent to a broad range of alumni of the Tbilisi School of Political Studies, representing a wide spectrum of political views. This was aimed at facilitating an open and constructive discussion reflecting diverse perspectives.
The Council of Europe has not paid honorariums in connection with the seminar either to [School Director] Armaz Akhvlediani or to other representatives of the Tbilisi School of Political Studies,” the Council of Europe’s letter reads.
On September 21, the State Audit Office of Georgia began examining the funding of Armaz Akhvlediani’s political school. The agency announced that its Financial Transparency Department launched monitoring “into the alleged receipt of a grant by the Tbilisi School of Political Studies without the consent of the Government of Georgia.”
Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has repeatedly commented on the Bakhmaro seminar. Specifically, at a parliamentary briefing on September 21, he characterized Armaz Akhvlediani as a “radical opposition figure” and leveled accusations against the Council of Europe’s office in Georgia. According to Papuashvili, this likely involves circumventing the law—a matter for the State Audit Office to investigate—adding that “if necessary, the legislation may also be amended.”
According to Papuashvili, there are suspicions that the local Council of Europe office may have directly covered hotel accommodation, transportation, and hospitality meal expenses for seminar participants, as well as paid remuneration to speakers. Papuashvili argued that under such circumstances, a service contract could formally and essentially be construed as a grant.
He also added that the legislation accounts for situations where an agreement is formally a service contract but inherently constitutes a grant. According to Papuashvili’s explanation, in such cases, the transaction must be classified as a grant and fall under the applicable regulatory requirements.
“We shall see; all of this looks like a clumsy attempt to circumvent the law. It will be a massive scandal if it turns out that the local Council of Europe office is involved in this. It will become a catastrophic scandal. Therefore, I cannot assert anything with absolute certainty yet. This is precisely why the State Audit Office exists—to thoroughly investigate all of this,” Shalva Papuashvili concluded.
