He thus became the first high-ranking official to resign over the controversial law
Georgia’s ambassador to France tendered his resignation today over the country’s “foreign agents” bill.
He became the first high-ranking official to resign over the controversial law, arguing that it would take the South Caucasus country off the path to European integration.
The bill, which stipulates that organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad will be labeled as foreign agents, has led to massive protests in the country by protesters who see it as authoritarian and Russian-inspired.
“Current tensions and the climate created by the draft law in our relations with our foreign friends and partners make my mission … extremely difficult,” Ambassador Gotsa Javakhishvili said in a social media post.
He said that while he did not personally know any Georgian officials or diplomats who are “openly pro-Russian”, he believed the draft law “may be a kind of tactic to achieve a certain goal”.
“I no longer see my role and my abilities as moving in that direction: moving towards Europe,” he said.
Street protests have been taking place since mid-April after the ruling Georgian Dream party announced plans to bring back the “foreign agents” bill, which it abandoned last year after mass rallies.
The government says the law is necessary to ensure that foreign funding of NGOs is transparent.
The European Union condemned the bill, saying its passage could jeopardize Georgia’s bid to join the bloc.
Source :Skai
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