Georgian foreign office: PM was invited to US by “condition to temporarily suspend” discussions on transparency bill

The Georgian foreign office on Thursday said the country's Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze was invited to the United States with the “precondition to temporarily suspend” the Parliamentary discussions on the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, which “is not in line with the spirit of partnership”.

The state body’s statement followed today’s comments by the US Ambassador to Georgia Robin Dunnigan, who claimed that senior members of the Georgian Government had recently been invited to “engage directly with the most senior leaders” in the United States to discuss their strategic partnership and address “any concerns” with United States assistance, before adding “unfortunately, the Georgian side chose not to accept this invitation”.  

• US Ambassador “deeply concerned” over developments in Georgia around bill on transparency of foreign influence

The implementation of the visit with preconditions does not correspond to the spirit of partnership, which should be based on mutual respect and trust, for which [the Georgian authorities] submitted a detailed explanation to the US Ambassador”, the office noted.

The Georgian bill calls for the registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they derive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad.

Its reintroduction by the ruling party has been met with rallies in the country and criticism by some of Georgia’s international partners.