The adoption of a law on foreign agents or foreign influence is an action against the strengthening of democratic institutions in Georgia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated this at a press conference.

“The Georgian people have also made it clear that they want a democratic, prosperous future in the European, Euro-Atlantic family. Therefore, I am afraid that any law that introduces this idea of “foreign agents” will have an impact on the media that operates in Georgia and undermine the very idea of making it a stronger and more democratic society,” Stoltenberg said.

The United States also expressed concern about the bill of the ruling Georgian Dream party. “The bill introduced in the Georgian parliament derails Georgia from its European path and harms civil society organizations that improve the lives of Georgian citizens. We encourage the Georgian government to advance their aspirations to join the EU,” said US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller. He recalled that last year tens of thousands of Georgian citizens took to the streets to stop the attempt to implement this law.

The day before, a rally was held in Tbilisi against the adoption of a “pro-Russian” decision. At the parliament building in Tbilisi, people came out with posters “No to Russian law” and “Two years of stubbornness in Europe.”

Recently, Georgian Dream introduced a bill “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” to parliament. It provides for the registration of those NGOs and media whose 20% of income is received from abroad.