Georgian president accuses government of being pro-Russian
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili heightened her critique of the governing Georgian Dream Party, explicitly alleging the government’s tendency to acquiesce to Russia
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili intensified her criticism of Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party during an interview with Deutsche Welle on May 3. She accused the government of being “prone to making concessions to Russia,” highlighting growing tensions within Georgia’s political landscape.
“It is increasingly clear that it is not just the ‘Russian law’ that is the problem, the problem is the Russian government,” said Zourabichvili.
Zourabichvili emphasized the contentious foreign agents legislation, colloquially dubbed the Russian law by its detractors in Georgia, which the Georgian Dream is endeavoring to push through parliament.
The bill, set for its third and concluding reading on May 17, mandates that organizations receiving foreign funding be designated “foreign agents.” It mirrors oppressive Russian legislation employed to suppress critics of the Kremlin regime.
Attempts to pass the law sparked mass demonstrations in the country, with police reportedly stepping up attacks on protesters with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons.
Zourabichvili’s comments reflected a growing sense that the protests were not just targeting the unpopular law, but had evolved into a broader anti-government position.
Western leaders have denounced the law and Georgian Dream’s attempt to pass it against the clear will of the people.
In the most recent diplomatic endeavor, European Council President Charles Michel spoke with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on the telephone, emphasizing that “Georgia’s destiny lies within the EU’ and urging the prime minister not to ‘let slip this momentous opportunity.”
Kobakhidze, in turn, commented on the phone call, saying that he expressed his “disappointment” at the EU authorities’ alleged reluctance to discuss the law.
The prime minister further reiterated unverified conspiracy theories regarding the alleged involvement of nongovernmental organizations in attempted revolutions in Georgia in both 2020 and 2023.
Kobakhidze concluded by saying that the law on foreign agents is a “crucial prerequisite for achieving depolarization, which is the main recommendation of the EU.”
EU officials have repeatedly reiterated that the law’s enactment will damage Georgia’s prospects of accession to the bloc.
Source: Newsroom
