Gathering of supporters and opponents of the “foreign agents” law in Tbilisi

According to the report of the international group Tasnim news agency quoting “Novesti” news agency reported that the Legal Affairs Committee of the Georgian Parliament last night at the end of its special meeting approved the controversial bill on “transparency of foreign influence” in the second reading.

The legal committee considered this initiative for 10 hours. During this meeting, heated debates took place between representatives of the ruling party “Dream of Georgia – Democratic Georgia” and the opposition. Due to the violation of parliamentary rules, 14 opposition representatives were banned from attending the hall.

The date of presenting this bill for voting in the general session of the Parliament of Georgia has not yet been announced.

At the same time as this meeting, a gathering of supporters of the ruling party “Dream of Georgia – Democratic Georgia” was held in Tbilisi Central Street in support of the approval of the “Transparency of Foreign Influence” bill. The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kabakhidze, gave a speech in this gathering.

This is despite the fact that a day before, another protest demonstration was held in Tbilisi against the approval of the Law on Foreign Agents. In the course of it, thousands of people gathered in the capital’s Republic Square.

In early April, the ruling party of Georgia announced that it plans to re-introduce the foreign agents bill. The Parliament presented that in March 2023 it was removed from the agenda of the Parliament due to widespread protests. This bill was approved in the first reading on April 17. 83 delegates voted in favor and there were no dissenting votes. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said she would veto the bill.

Afterward, Georgia’s prime minister called Zurabishvili the cause of foreign influence. Then the demonstrators in front of the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi gave the authorities one hour to withdraw the bill. Several thousand people had gathered in this demonstration, when the rally became violent and the police arrested 14 of the protesters. The country was included in the European Union, considering its sovereignty

Irakli Kabakhidze, the Prime Minister of Georgia, emphasized last night in a large gathering of supporters of the “Transparency of Foreign Influence” bill. He said that Tbilisi intends and has the right to join the European Union, but it wants the sovereignty and values ​​of this country to be respected.

He said: Today Georgia is an independent and sovereign country. Georgian society has strong values, and we want to become a member of the European Union with our independence, sovereignty and values.

The European Union will accept Georgia only if it renounces its state sovereignty and national values, but it will never happen. He also asked the European Union to start negotiations for Georgia to join this organization this year.

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