Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze discussed the country’s FARA legislation during a debate at the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin.
Kobakhidze said that, as a lawyer, he initially believed the legislation adopted by Georgia’s parliament was not fully in line with European principles.
However, he said the government decided to directly replicate US legislation after the US Ambassador to Georgia described the American FARA law as good while criticizing Georgia’s Law on Transparency. “We simply translated the American law into Georgian and adopted it,” Kobakhidze stated, adding that the United States had introduced the legislation to protect its own interests.
The Prime Minister criticized what he described as contradictory statements by the US Ambassador, who later called the Georgian version of the American law a “Russian law.” Kobakhidze said this demonstrated the misinformation directed at the Georgian public.
He also highlighted public support for EU membership, stating that more than 70% of Georgia’s population supports joining the European Union.
