Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees: Passage of ‘foreign agent’ law in Georgia undermines democracy

NordenBladet —

“Despite repeated expressions of concern from friends and allies, the Georgian parliament has taken an alarming and repressive step that undermines democracy and contradicts its stated goal of Western integration,” the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees said in the Joint Statement. According to them, it is a parliament’s role to reflect the will of its people, and Georgians have unequivocally rejected this Kremlin-inspired law as incompatible with their identity, European values, and democratic principles. “Simply put, this so-called ‘foreign agent’ law mirrors the policies of Vladimir Putin, who continues to illegally occupy 20 percent of Georgia’s territory.”

The Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees pointed out that respected Georgian organizations such as Transparency International (TI Georgia), the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), and the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), were playing pivotal roles in Georgia’s path towards Euro-Atlantic integration. “This law flies in the face of such worthy efforts and serves as a direct assault on civil society and independent media – elements fundamental to any democracy. The United States and Europe will continue to support them as their leadership and vision for Georgia exemplify true patriotism, in stark contrast to the 84 members of Parliament who aligned themselves with Russia in yesterday’s vote,” they said.

The Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees underlined that they would never abandon the Georgian people who had bravely displayed their steadfast commitment to democratic values through peaceful resistance. “Nor will we hesitate to hold accountable those responsible for enacting this Russian-style law and for the brutal targeting of nonviolent demonstrators, including by Bidzina Ivanishvili and his cronies. To the Georgian people, we declare: You are not alone,” they added.

The Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees of the parliaments of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Parliament have joined the Joint Statement. Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Marko Mihkelson signed the statement on behalf of Estonia.

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee

Link uudisele: Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees: Passage of ‘foreign agent’ law in Georgia undermines democracy

Source: Parliament of Estonia