Tbilisi: Georgian president Salome Zurabishvili took a strong exception to the recently passed foreign agents law during an interview with the media. She termed it an exact copy of the Russian law to stifle the voice of civil society organizations in the country.
There were large-scale demonstrations across the country to prevent the parliament from passing the law but even then it got passed in first reading. The law enforcement agencies also detained a large number of protesters who were holding demonstrations against this law in many parts including the capital city of Tbilisi.
President while calling this law one of the draconian laws said “ I will use my veto power to stop any anti-people law introduced with bad intention to gag the independent voice of the opposition”. She further added it is an exact copy of Putin’s law which was introduced some years ago to destroy civil society and non-governmental organizations.
According to her last year this law was not passed as this was the biggest hurdle to the EU’s integration of Georgia. Last year we were given the status of a candidate country of the EU and we are thankful to the European council for that historic decision.
President Salome Zurabishvili underlined that the country is very close to European Integration, moreove the important discussion will be initiated in the last month of the year. Russia on the other hand trying to interfere in the internal matter of Georgia to block its entry into the EU with the help of the present government.
She also said that despite the ruling party having the authority to ignore his power of veto she will surely exercise this right as a symbolic veto. This law is totally against our regional and international partners through hidden ways. This is not a direct war but a geopolitical soft war to degrade Georgia.
Notably country has witnessed two days of protest against the law. Protestors also hold demonstrations in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi.
