President Zurabishvili Meets Western Ambassadors to Discuss Law on Foreign Agents
On April 8, President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili held a meeting with representatives of the diplomatic corps to discuss the reintroduction of the so-called “foreign agents” law by the ruling party. The meeting was attended by the Ambassadors of the EU member states, the US and the UK.
During the meeting the President emphasized that the Georgian people have already said no to the Russian law and now there is only one answer to the GD’s decisions: “…It is to express our European choice through elections!” President Zurabishvili also stressed that “there is no alternative to Georgia’s European path and integration into the European Union, this is the unshakable decision of the Georgian people and nothing can divert them from this path”.
The representatives of the Diplomatic Corps present at the meeting expressed their concern about the initiated draft law and said that the said decision threatens Georgia’s European integration.
After the meeting, the President’s Parliamentary Secretary Giorgi Mskhiladze told journalists that President Zurabishvili plans to use her constitutional right to veto the bill if it is passed.
On April 3, the parliamentary majority leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Mamuka Mdinaradze, announced the reintroduction of the draft law on foreign agents, which was dropped last year after the massive rallies on March 7-9. According to Mdinaradze, the content of the bill remains the same, the only change is in the title: the word “agent” in it has been removed and the title has been replaced with “Organization Pursuing the Interests of a Foreign Power”. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from the civil society and opposition within the country and from Georgia’s international partners.
Also Read:
- 03/04/2024 – President: GD Sabotages Georgia’s European Future
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
