MOSCOW, May 17. /TASS/. The European Union’s call for ensuring freedom of protest in Georgia looks like interference in the country’s domestic affairs aimed at changing the government, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
"The European Union has called on the Georgian authorities to ensure the people’s right to protest. The European Union should show consistency and call, say, on the authorities in the US, Armenia and Moldova to ensure their people’s right to protest. Otherwise, this can be interpreted as interference in the county’s domestic affairs aimed at changing the government," the diplomat wrote on Telegram.
Georgia’s parliament passed the third reading of the bill On the Transparency of Foreign Influence on May 14. Protests against the bill have been going on in the country for several weeks. On some occasions, the rallies escalated into clashes with the police, who used force to disperse protesters.
The bill has been criticized by the US, the UN, the EU, NATO, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe. Leaders of Georgia's ruling party argue that it only serves to ensure transparency of foreign funding to non-governmental organizations and media outlets. Meanwhile, Western European politicians and media outlets claim the Georgian legislation is modeled on Russia’s foreign agent law. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said she would veto the bill.