PM candidate vows Georgian “identity”, “sovereignty” “unalterable by any law”, including foreign transparency legislation

Irakli Kobakhidze, the candidate for Prime Minister of Georgia, on Thursday asserted “no decisions or laws”, including the recently adopted legislation on transparency of foreign influence, could “compromise the country’s identity and sovereignty” under the Georgian Dream Government’s rule.

Addressing the Parliament ahead of his Government’s confidence vote following last month’s general elections, Kobakhidze dismissed claims that the law - which requires non-commercial legal entities and media outlets receiving over 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuant of foreign influence” - could undermine Georgia’s European integration.

There are people who have claimed that if we adopted the law, the next morning we would wake up in [the Russian city of] Chelyabinsk and a Russian equivalent would be used in speech instead of ‘dog’”, he said in reference to the opposition’s portrayal of the law as “Russian”.

I assure you, in this country, a dog will be called a dog, a person will be called a person, this country will be called a country, and this state will be called a state. This is our responsibility to Georgia”, he pledged. 

Kobakhidze also reaffirmed his Government's commitment to “advancing the country's development without compromising its national identity”, highlighting further integration into the European Union should also respect Georgia’s traditions and sovereignty.