In response to Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili’s veto of the parliament-passed “foreign agents” bill, Grigory Karasin, the head of the Russian Federation Council Committee on International Relations, stated that Zourabichvili is actively trying to destabilize her own country.
“The peculiar woman Zourabichvili seems to be actively seeking instability in her own country. She shows some strange persistence in rejecting the law on foreign agents adopted by an overwhelming majority in parliament. One wonders whose interests Madame President is defending. The scenario is quite clear, but it’s important not to lose a sense of proportion in politics!” Karasin wrote in his Telegram channel on May 18.
On May 19, he reacted again to Zourabichvili’s veto with the following post:
“President Zourabichvili continues to surprise. Her invitation to President Macron to celebrate Georgia’s Independence Day in Georgia on May 26 is entirely consistent with international practice. But then, Madame President, why loudly announce that the visit aims to ‘rid the Caucasus of Soviet yoke and Russian influence’? This obsessive adherence to Saakashvili’s standards! And that already looks like a diagnosis.“
The “foreign agents bill” (Transparency of Foreign Influence Law) was adopted by the Georgian Parliament on May 14 in its third reading. The bill was supported by 84 deputies, while 30 voted against it.
President Salome Zourabichvili immediately stated that she would veto the law, which she did on May 18, also announcing that her reasoned remarks had already been sent back to the parliament.
However, the ruling party “Georgian Dream” has enough deputies in parliament to override this veto.
