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TBILISI, Georgia — Western efforts to force Georgia to drop its controversial new “foreign agent” law are doomed to fail, the governing party declared Tuesday, insisting it will push ahead with the legislation despite the threat of sanctions.
Georgian Dream hit out at growing pressure from Washington and Brussels to shelve the plans, which would impose new restrictions on NGOs, media outlets and campaign groups.
That comes after POLITICO reported the U.S. Congress will this week consider a bill that could impose travel bans and financial penalties on the party’s politicians if they vote the bill into law next week. It would also reward Georgia’s government with major trade incentives and visa liberalization if it takes steps to “reinvigorate democracy” in the country.
“Our country has been the subject of constant attack by a number of American politicians and officials, from which the Georgian government has to defend itself,” the ruling party said, calling for “rational sense to prevail in America.”
Georgian Dream said Washington should grant relaxed visa requirements and sign a free-trade agreement “without any conditions,” insisting that the foreign agent bill will be passed regardless of condemnation from abroad. The U.S. should also “change the behavior of NGOs … putting aside their revolutionary plans,” it went on.
The statement also said EU accession is being used “as a tool of permanent blackmail against Georgia” and urged Brussels to begin membership talks by the end of the year to “restore fairness” with fellow candidate countries like Moldova and Ukraine which have already started the process.
Georgia was awarded EU candidate status in December, despite warnings of backsliding on human rights and a failure to implement key reforms. Brussels said that passage of the foreign agent bill would torpedo its hopes of accession.
Georgian Dream says the law is needed to protect against foreign interference, but given it has also introduced a Russian-style ban on “LGBTQ+ propaganda” and threatened a crackdown on opposition parties, the country’s Western partners fear it is part of a pivot toward Moscow.
Tens of thousands of Georgians took to the streets in recent weeks to protest the draft law. Riot police used force to disperse protesters and detained opposition politicians.
