Georgia ruling party to recall bill on foreign agents

The Georgian government has decided to recall the bill on foreign agents. The joint statement of the Political Council of the ruling party Georgian Dream, People’s Power and the parliamentary majority was published by the government TV-channel Imedi.

“We see that the draft law has caused differences of opinion in society. The machine of lies was able to present the bill in a negative light and mislead a certain part of the public. The false label of “Russian law” was attached to the bill, and its adoption in the first reading was presented as a departure from the European course.

In addition, the radical forces were able to involve some of the youth in illegal activities. Thank you to the heroic law enforcement officers who responded to the violence with patience and the highest standards.

We should be most careful about peace, tranquility and economic development in our country, as well as Georgia’s progress on the path of European integration. Therefore, it is necessary to spend the energy of each of our fellow citizens not on confrontation, but on the development of the country in the right direction.

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Considering all of the above, as a governing power responsible to each member of the society, we have decided to unconditionally withdraw the bill we supported without any reservations.

As the emotions subside, we will better explain to the public what the bill was for and why it was important to ensure the transparency of foreign influence in our country. To do this, we will start meetings with the population and let the general public know the truth about each and every detail of the matter.

We act with the special responsibility that, as a governing power, we owe to each member of society.

“Georgia will maintain peace and stability and continue moving towards Europe with dignity, which is the principle choice of the Georgian society,” the statement said.

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The draft law on foreign agents was adopted by the parliamentary majority in the first reading on March 7. Public groups have been protesting the bill since its inception. Georgia’s Western partners HAVE also criticized the bill, saying it is an obstacle to Georgia’s European integration. Citizens have expressed their protest in peaceful demonstrations. The authorities tried to break up the demonstrations using water cannons, pepper spray and tear gas.