Georgia's foreign agents law 'could be ditched' if US agrees trade deal
The Guardian|May 22, 2024
A "foreign agents" law that has brought hundreds of thousands of people on to the streets of Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, could be dropped in return for a package of economic and security support from Washington, the ruling party hinted yesterday.
Daniel Boffey
Georgia's foreign agents law 'could be ditched' if US agrees trade deal

In response to a draft bill tabled in the US Congress that would open up talks on a trade deal in return for fresh commitments on civil rights, the governing Georgian Dream party said it would need to see progress on such promises within a year.

The party's ruling body, known as the political council, issued a statement yesterday in which it insisted that the government would not be blackmailed, but also signalled that a way out of the crisis was possible if it saw swift progress on preferential trade terms and visa liberalisation.

Under the new Georgian law on transparency of foreign influence, which passed its third and final reading last week, civil society organisations and media receiving more than 20% of their revenues from abroad will be obliged to register as "organisations serving the interests of a foreign power".

This story is from the May 22, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

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This story is from the May 22, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

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