In an interview with CNN, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili again criticized the bill “on foreign agents” and noted that it is a copy of Putin’s law. She said she would veto the decision.

“This is worrying because this is a copy of Putin’s law, which was adopted in 2012, and then gradually became stricter and developed. This is a law against the activities of NGOs, the activities of the media, this is a law against those international organizations of our partner countries, European countries, the USA or Great Britain, which support the independence of Georgia, the building of state institutions and economic development for the last 30 years or more,” Zurabishvili emphasized.

Let us recall that in the Georgian parliament, the ruling deputies approved in the first reading the bill on foreign agents, which caused mass protests. This initiative provoked thousands of rallies in Tbilisi. Police dispersed protesters using tear gas and pepper spray.

The European Union expressed concern about the developments and noted that the final adoption of this bill would negatively affect Georgia’s progress towards membership in the organization. This law is not in line with core EU norms and values.