Georgian Ambassador to France asked for resignation due to the law on “foreign agents”

Georgian Ambassador to France Gocha Javakhishvili said that he asked the leadership to terminate his powers in this post early because of the bill on so-called foreign agents.

“I don’t know anyone around me, neither in the government nor among diplomats, who would be openly pro-Russian, I understand that this may be a kind of tactic to achieve a certain goal. But I no longer see my role and resources in this direction: to move towards Europe and defend ourselves from Europe,” wrote diplomat on Facebook.

According to Javakhishvili, the situation and mood that arose in relations with foreign partners due to the “reincarnated bill” make his mission as Georgian ambassador extremely difficult.

On May 1, the Georgian parliament approved the bill “On Transparency of Foreign Influence” in the second reading. Critics of the document, including representatives of the United States and Europe, call it an analogue of the Russian law on “foreign agents.” As the bill is being considered, mass protests are taking place in Georgia.

• If passed, the law would require organizations and citizen groups to register as “foreign agents” if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad.
• The European Union, which in December granted Georgia the status of a candidate country for the European bloc, said that the adoption of the law “On Transparency of External Influence” is incompatible with EU values ​​and will destroy the country’s hopes for membership in this association.