Georgia's president says the law on foreign agents is a departure from the Western path

The President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, assessed that the adoption of the law on "foreign agents" at the insistence of the government is a clear departure from the country's western path, which will jeopardize its efforts to join the European Union.

Zurabishvili reiterated in her interview for the Voice of America that she will veto the law, which is similar to the law in Russia that was used to stifle the opposition and the media, but also pointed out that the ruling Georgian Dream party has a sufficient majority in parliament to override her veto.

She said the law was adopted in an atmosphere of renewed "very anti-Western, anti-American, anti-European" rhetoric with accusations that the West wants to encourage destabilization of Georgia and remove the government.

After Georgia received the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union in December, Brussels and Washington warn that the adopted law could threaten the country's partnership with the West.

"The law was submitted at the worst time, because we need to work on the positive legislation that is expected of us," Zurabishvili said.

Georgia, as Zurabishvili said, has the possibility to open negotiations on accession to the European Union by the end of the year or early next year, but has a number of recommendations from the European Commission that it needs to work on in order to increase the chances of opening negotiations.

"Time is passing and we are wasting time to copy some Russian laws that the public here knows very well how they have been used in Russia. It has been used to limit the capacity of civil society to act as civil society, to defend human rights, to defend political rights. And it was also used against free media," said the president of Georgia.

Instead of working on the recommendations of the European Commission, Zurabishvili adds, the authorities took another path, "which is to not adopt the various reforms that are required of us, especially in the area of ​​judicial reform and the fight against corruption."

"On the contrary, they are submitting a law that was presented last year, which was said to be inconsistent with European values, which was criticized by civil society, which was rejected by mass demonstrations and which the authorities withdrew, promising their citizens that it would never be discussed again. they won't argue anymore," she said.

The President of Georgia said that the only way to get out of this situation is to hold new elections where, as she said, "a new majority must come that will abolish the laws that go against European integration".

According to the law, media houses, non-governmental organizations and other non-profit organizations would have to register as "working for the interests of a foreign power" if more than 20 percent of their funding comes from abroad.

Thousands of demonstrators protested the adoption of the law, and the police used force to break up the protests.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobahidze of the Georgian Dream party accused the protesters of "following the agenda of a political minority" and accused them of showing "gross irresponsibility" towards their country.

US Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien, who was in Tbilisi the day before the adoption of the law, said that Washington's relations with that country will be threatened and that US aid to Georgia will be subject to review if the bill is adopted.

"If the law is adopted without harmonization with EU norms and if this kind of rhetoric and defamation of the US and other partners continues, I think the relationship is in jeopardy," O'Brien said.