First Vice Prime Minister claims US sanctions for transparency law will “probably not be passed” among calls by some Congresspeople
Davitashvili said the potential sanctions were “not a form by which partners cooperate or communicate with each other”. Photo: Government Administration
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Levan Davitashvili, the First Vice Prime Minister and Economy Minister of Georgia, on Monday said sanctions would “probably not be passed” on Georgian officials by the United States Government following the adoption of the controversial law on transparency of foreign influence, amid calls for restrictions by some members of the US Congress.
Davitashvili said the potential sanctions were “not a form by which partners cooperate or communicate with each other”.
The United States is a strategic partner of Georgia. I think that the particular initiative [for sanctioning specific senior Georgian officials], coming from certain members of the Congress, will probably not be passed”, he said.
The Minister stressed the Georgian Government would “continue strategic cooperation and partnership” with the US “in the coming years”, and further added “this cooperation, I am sure, will be further deepened”.
This cooperation will be even more fruitful, and will serve the interests of the two countries. This cooperation will be based on trust and respect”, Davitashvili continued.
He also added it was “wrong and incorrect” to use the term “Russian law” for the newly adopted legislation, in reference to the term used by the domestic opposition and the non-governmental sector.
The Parliament last week adopted the law, which requires groups “considered to be an organisation pursuing the interests of a foreign power” - determined by more than 20 percent of their funding coming from abroad - to be registered in the public registry with the status and publicise their received funding.
The legislative piece was supported by 84 MPs in the 150-member lawmaking body, with 30 voting against it.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Saturday vetoed the law on the backdrop of ongoing public protests and criticism from Georgia’s foreign partner states, however the ruling party has enough votes in the legislative piece to overcome the veto.