German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized the bill on foreign agents initiated by the ruling Georgian Dream party. This happened at a joint press conference in Berlin after a meeting with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. Scholz expressed the hope that Georgia will not approve the bill, and that its parliament will take into account the critical position of its population and the European Union. Moreover, the German Chancellor responded to a question about an allegedly similar law in the European Union: “There is no such bill in the EU, there is a discussion about establishing transparency in different areas, but this is a completely different concept and it has not yet been defined and most likely will not be defined.” Earlier, rallies were held in Tbilisi against the adoption of a law on foreign agents, initiated by the ruling Georgian Dream party. The country's president, Salome Zurabishvili, also spoke out against him. She called on citizens to choose “between independence and slavery, Europe and the Russian Federation.”