Ruling party head highlights “utmost respect” for European institutions in forwarding transparency bill to Venice Commission
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the Georgian authorities had showed “utmost respect” to the European institutions by forwarding the proposed domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, which passed the first reading at the country’s Parliament on Tuesday, to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe for opinion. Photo: Georgian Dream Press Office
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Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the Georgian authorities had showed “utmost respect” to the European institutions by forwarding the proposed domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence, which passed the first reading at the country’s Parliament on Tuesday, to the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe for opinion.
In his remarks over the latest developments in the country around the controversial bill that involves registration of non-commercial legal entities and media outlets in the country as “agents of foreign influence” if they derive more than 20 percent of their income from abroad, Kobakhidze noted “we are waiting for the conclusion from the Venice Commission and will continue to act accordingly”.
Linking this bill to the [European Union] membership candidate status [prospects for Georgia] is a mere speculation. We have shown utmost respect for the European institutions by forwarding this bill to the Venice Commission. We are waiting for the conclusion from the Venice Commission and will continue to act accordingly”, the GD official said.
“Ultimately, those forces that have funded radicalism and polarisation in Georgia will refrain from funding such actions in the future. This will be the result of this law, which is derived from the interests of our public”, Kobakhidze noted.
Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Tuesday said the bill was “incompatible” with European Union values and standards.
The comments come after the Georgian police on Wednesday said it had arrested 66 people for “petty hooliganism”, disobedience to law enforcement and throwing “Molotov cocktails and stones” at officers during a protest against the bill outside the Parliament building in capital Tbilisi.
Josep Borrell, the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Tuesday said the proposed Georgian bill on the transparency of foreign influence, which passed the first reading at the country’s Parliament on Tuesday, was “incompatible” with European Union values and standards.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday vowed the Georgian authorities’ support for the country’s European integration by saying the “march forward to Europe” would be facilitated “with Christianity”, “with sovereignty” and “with dignity”.
The Georgian police on Wednesday said it had arrested 66 people for “petty hooliganism”, disobedience to law enforcement and throwing “Molotov cocktails and stones” at officers during a protest outside the Parliament building in Tbilisi after the legislative body gave its initial backing to a proposed bill on transparency of foreign influence in its first reading.
Newly appointed Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, on Tuesday called on the Interior Ministry not to use coercive and “disproportionate” measures against the peaceful participants gathered currently in front of the Parliament building to protest the approval of the transparency bill by the legislative body earlier today, and urged the protesters not to go beyond the legal framework.
Irakli Chikovani, an MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday claimed a “destructive revanchist campaign” by a part of the domestic opposition amid controversy around the proposed bill on transparency of foreign influence, alleging the opposition was aiming to cause “dissatisfaction and agitation” among the public using the subject.
Georgia’s Special Investigation Service on Wednesday announced it was investigating alleged instances of abuse of power by law enforcement officers during a rally in central Tbilisi late on Tuesday that protested the controversial domestic bill on transparency of foreign influence.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday published the letter sent by the official to Bazy Malaurie, the President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe, for requesting the body’s opinion on the controversial bill on transparency of foreign influence that has met by a backlash in Georgia.
The first hearing of the draft law on Registration of Foreign Agents, scheduled for tomorrow, will no longer be discussed at the plenary session of the Parliament, the local news agency Interpressnews said on Wednesday.