Estonian ForMin summons Georgian ambassador

Ambassador of Georgia Archil Karaulashvili. Photo: Erakogu

The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday summoned the ambassador of Georgia to convey great discontent over the decision of the Georgian parliament to approve a bill on the transparency of foreign influence or the so-called foreign agent bill.

"The foreign agent bill that passed the first reading in the Georgian parliament raises serious questions about the prospects of democracy in Georgia. The law is in clear conflict with Georgia’s ambition so far for rapid Euro-Atlantic integration," Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said.

According to the minister, it contradicts European values and is counterproductive to meeting the 12 priorities needed for obtaining EU candidate country status.

"Implementing the law will lead to silencing independent media and civil society and will make it more difficult to carry out Estonia’s development cooperation projects in Georgia. We call on the Georgian parliament to responsibly consider the real interests of the country and retract the bill. We also call on the government of Georgia to respect people’s right to peaceful protest," he added.

The foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania also issued a joint statement on developments in Georgia on Wednesday.