The United States State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, responded to inquiries regarding the US policy following the registration of the Russian law by the Georgian government, despite expressed concerns.
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"The policy is the policy that we made clear in the statement that we put out, which is that we are deeply concerned that, if it is enacted, this draft legislation would harm civil society organizations working to improve the lives of Georgian citizens. It would derail Georgia from its European path, and we are concerned that the legislation would impede independent media organizations working to provide access for Georgian citizens to high-quality information. Now, this is still a draft piece of legislation. It has not been enacted into law, so with respect to any potential outcomes or any potential steps that we might take, I certainly wouldn’t want to preview them today," Miller said.
The journalist highlighted the US position from last year regarding sanctioning lawmakers who supported the bill and inquired why there's a deviation from that message today. In response, the State Department spokesperson replied:
"Right now we are making clear that we are concerned with the – this draft legislation. With respect to what we might do if it moves forward, stay tuned. I don’t have anything to announce today".
Last week, the State Department issued three statements in response to the ruling Georgian Dream's reinstatement of the Russian law on so-called foreign agents. The US expresses deep concern over this decision, believing that the bill jeopardizes civil society organizations whose efforts benefit ordinary citizens of Georgia in areas such as healthcare, education, and social support. Additionally, according to the State Department, the draft law undermines Georgia's commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration and poses the risk of diverting Georgia from its European trajectory.
"We have clearly expressed this concern to the Government of Georgia," stated the State Department on April 5th.
Georgian Dream aims to have the parliament pass the Russian law on so-called foreign agents in all three readings by the end of the current session, which it declined to do in March 2023 due to protests and international pressure. The draft law was submitted by the Bureau of the Parliament on April 8th, and the legal committee will review it on April 15th. The text remains unchanged, with only the term "agent of foreign influence" replaced by "organization carrying the interests of a foreign power." President Salome Zourabichvili will veto the Russian law if adopted, although Georgian Dream holds enough votes in parliament to override it.
