Foreign agents law an attempt to ‘suppress critical voices’, Georgian president tells FRANCE 24

Foreign agents law an attempt to ‘suppress critical voices’, Georgian president tells FRANCE 24

we welcome to the program Salam zish the president of Georgia Madame President thank you very much for joining us here on France 24 evening can you explain for us for those who don’t yet know what your position is on this controversial Bill uh well I think that we are in a Way Beyond the controversial bill which is a duplicate of what uh Putin President Putin has been doing in Russia over the past years in order to suppress the Civil Society the non-governmental organizations and the introduction for the second time uh of a law that copies the Russian law that’s why it’s called here the Russian law uh is really a provocation to the civil society that if you remember last year in March protested this law uh and one the law was retrieved and uh Georgia finally got its candidate status to the European union now this uh reintroduction of the same law is felt by the Georgian population and by the Civil organizations and Nos and the media uh as a real attempt before the elections that are to take place in October as an attempt to release press critical voices but the most concern today uh is is even not so much the Russian law as the Russian government because the Declarations the statement that we heard just two days ago from the honorary president of the Georgian Dream the ruling party Mr Ian is a declaration of war to our partners to the United States and to the European Union uh calling them all party of War calling them all agents um calling me an agent of the party of war and calling all the organizations and all the parties in Georgia and this youth that is out on the streets and claiming that they want to preserve their European future calling us all agents of Revolution and of subversion that’s exactly the terms that President Putin has been using against its own Civil Society Madam president if this bill goes to its third read and passes into law what will happen do you feel that the violence could get worse is Georgia on the brink of an instability which could go towards some kind of civil conflict I don’t think that it’s instability I think that the uh young people that are coming out to defend their European future are very uh reasonable uh and very conscious of the fact that the country that has two occupied territories by Russia cannot play in stability so they’re just protesting very peacefully there are some provocations from the uh forces of police or Special Forces uh but I’m sure that we will restrain because the way is long until the elections and the real uh end to this Russian law and to many other laws that have been passed in the recent U weeks or months uh the answer is in the voting at the of the elections in October so the aim and the objective is very clear is to keep Georgia in line with its European future with what is written in the constitution of Georgia that European integration is an obligation for all the institutions of Georgia to work towards and that is something that the Georgian population understands very well and is going to defend very well Madam president you you mentioned bids Ian the honorary president of the Georgia dream party the part that’s been in charge of the country for 12 years uh you mentioned his influence uh also you mentioned the two uh regions of Georgia occupied by Russia since 2008 abazia South otia is Russia in a position do you think somehow to exploit this situation perhaps steal more Georgian territory uh I don’t think that that the play that we have now witnessing uh I think that Russia is seeing that the European path of Georgia is something very real that together uh with Russia there is Armenia that is taking the same path uh that aeran is leaning towards partnership with turkey uh and that the Caucasus and the Black Sea uh is some out going out of the influence of Russia so yes it’s an attempt by Russia uh when this European pass is becoming very immediate and very real to try to put its leverage uh on the evolution of the situation through obviously now uh the ruling party Georgian Dream and its honorary president that are playing in the hands of Russian uh policy uh and that is what is not acceptable uh for a country that has gone through more than two centuries of different attempts by Russia to impose uh its uh law and its imperialism on Georgia Georgia has reclaimed its independence twice and will preserve it this time also ma Madame President is is the fear that GE George and dream the party in charge for the past 12 years is actually trying to push the country towards Moscow is that how you interpret things for a long time uh there was there were question marks also outside of the country and here in the latest period there were question marks of why was not the Georgian Dream taking more direct and clear measures to favor the integration to the European Union why was georan dream not implementing the 12 recommendations as it was asked by the European Union or now the nine recommendations was it to keep power and only to keep power or was it under some form of influence of Russia after the speech of an honorary president ivany two days ago it is very clear that it’s a declaration anti-western anti-european everybody has to read that speech and that is makes clear what Mr Ian and his ruling party are trying to do to Georgia and that is an acceptable to the Georgian population it’s also unacceptable to the Georgian president Madam president we’re out of time but I’ve got to ask you another question you you you you’ve mentioned that the elections are coming up you’ve mentioned that it is up to the Georgian people and their voice will be the one that carries and you said that the majority are for going into Europe however the situation as it stands uh looks like the ruling party might be taking a move in the other direction is there anything that the EU could do to help to intervene to perhaps ease the situation do you think uh I think that’s what is uh waited from the European Union is very clear attention it’s understandable that we are at a time when there are many Global crisis and I know that you’re covering all of that and that Georgia is not necessarily in the center of attention but as a candidate country to the European Union as one that is on the verge of getting to these negotiations of adion and as one of the countries that are really enthusiasts of the European Union I’m talking about the population we need the attention and we need Clarity from the European Union that they understand that the population wants the you and maybe that’s the governing forces today are not doing all the necessary for that so this Clarity of the messages is what we need the rest is to be done by us Madame President thank you for joining us here in France 24 as you were speaking to us we’re showing images live fromc uh where of course the situation remains uh unsettled to say the least but thank you for sharing your analysis with us and for giving us your time we appreciate it very much president of Georgia Salam zures joining us live here on France thank you madam president once again

Scuffles broke out in Parliament and dozens of protesters were arrested on Wednesday as Georgian lawmakers voted to advance a controversial bill that would require organisations receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili tells FRANCE 24 that the law is an attempt to “suppress critical voices” before the October elections. Known as the “Russian law” because the Kremlin uses similar legislation to target journalists and NGOs, critics fear it will similarly be used to crack down on dissent and civic freedoms in Georgia. Zourabichvili says the law is nearly a “duplicate” of the legislation Russian President Vladimir Putin uses to intimidate his critics.

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