Georgian PM speaks about the importance of the law on foreign agents

The law on foreign agents adopted in Georgia is aimed at preventing outside interference, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters.

On April 1, the Georgian Parliament adopted a new law on foreign agents, which is analogous to the U.S. law. The bill is called the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The American law in question is called the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

"The new US administration has explicitly stated that USAID, NED and other foundations were used to develop the scenario of unrest in different countries, to organize revolutions, and this happened including in Georgia.... In the context of this recognition ... it became absolutely clear how important transparency legislation is in our country. No one has the right to interfere in our internal political life from the outside, let alone plan revolutions from the outside. Therefore, the law on transparency will be one of the main guarantees that Georgia's sovereignty, our country's independence and national interests will be reliably protected," Kobakhidze said.

According to him, “in its content, the FARA law is much stricter than the transparency law adopted by the Georgian side, but in Georgia this law will operate in accordance with human rights standards.”

In early February, Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party said it would initiate a new law on foreign agents, which would be a literal analog of the current U.S. FARA law, in order to prevent any speculation regarding the previously adopted by Georgian authorities law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence.” The difference between the two regulations is that the Foreign Influence Transparency Act deals with organizations, not individuals, and implies fines for failure to file an annual income tax return. A similar U.S. law provides for imprisonment for violators for up to five years.

Reprinted from https://ria.ru/