Georgian Parliament Speaker says EU Commissioner’s alleged “threat” against PM is “shocking”
"The PM [Kobakhidze] informed me about this [alleged threat]. It is shocking to bring attempted murder into [the conversation] in this context. [and] I cannot make any other comments on this matter”, Papuashvili noted. Photo via Parliament of Georgia
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Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said the alleged “threat” from unspecified European Commissioner to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze over overcoming the President’s veto on the recently adopted transparency of foreign influence law was “shocking”.
Papuashvili’s comments followed the claims by Kobakhidze, who earlier today alleged that the EU Commissioner had “listed a number of measures” Western politicians might take in case of overriding the veto.
Kobakhidze claimed the official had made the comment while adding “You've seen what happened to [Slovak PM] Fico and you should be very careful”, in reference to the Government official being shot in the central Slovakian town of Handlová last week.
The PM [Kobakhidze] informed me about this [alleged threat]. It is shocking to bring attempted murder into [the conversation] in this context. [and] I cannot make any other comments on this matter”, Papuashvili noted.
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.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday claimed the unspecified European Commissioner had “listed a number of measures” Western politicians might take if the Georgian President’s veto on the recently adopted law on transparency of foreign influence was overcome by the ruling Georgian Dream party in a phone conversation.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday claimed the controversial domestic law on transparency of foreign influence would contribute to “increasing the responsibility of international donors” of domestic non-governmental organisations “in a qualitative manner”.
Salome Kurasbediani, a member of the parliamentary majority from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday claimed that today’s opinion of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe on the domestic law on transparency of foreign influence “once again confirmed” that there were “no legal arguments” against the transparency law.
The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe “strongly recommends” the Georgian Government repealing the domestic law on transparency of foreign influence in its current form, as its “fundamental flaws” would involve “significant negative consequences” for the freedoms of association and expression, the right to privacy, the right to participate in public affairs, as well as the prohibition of discrimination.