Georgia: the serious crisis that the world is not watching

Borrowing a page from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s playbook, Ivanishvili promised to reintroduce a “foreign agents” law that would classify any organization that receives more than 20 percent of its funding from other countries as a foreign-influenced entity.

With this Kremlin-style law, the Government could eliminate all NGOs that work for democracy and the rule of law, suppress independent media and eradicate the opposition. In view of which, the closing of Ivanishvili’s speech, in which he promised EU membership, sounded like an Orwellian joke.

The speech, immediately followed by the passage of the law on May 14, signaled Georgia’s turn toward an autocratic regime similar to that of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Tens of thousands of protesters, led by Georgian youth, have taken to the streets to express dissent, and their numbers are growing, despite the government’s violent attacks on protesters and opposition politicians. And although the pro-Western president of Georgia, Salomé Zurabishvili, vetoed the rule, on Tuesday Parliament broke that veto.

The situation in Georgia is not new. The Government had already introduced a law on foreign agents in March 2023, but was forced to withdraw it after mass protests. After that Georgia obtained the candidacy to join the EU, which reaffirmed the confidence of many Georgians in their country’s European future. So What led Ivanishvili, with his apparent pro-Western stance, to turn around before the parliamentary elections and when 90 percent of the population is in favor of EU membership?

The answer lies in Russia, where Ivanishvili made his fortune. Georgia is a treasure for Putin, because it is a fundamental piece of the ‘middle corridor’: the shortest route to connect Europe with China and Central Asia.

A good example is the tour of the deep-water port project in the Georgian city of Anaklia. In 2016, the contract for the construction and operation of the port was awarded to a joint venture between TBC Holding, of Georgia, and Conti International, a company based in the United States. But in 2020 the Georgian government annulled the contract, probably under pressure from Russia, and this week it was handed over to Chinese investors.

However, geopolitical maneuvers are not enough to prevent Western advances in Georgia. The Georgian government also has to resort to internal repression to stop progress towards the country’s membership in the EU and NATO.

Central Asian countries, rich in energy and mineral resources, have also expressed growing interest in cooperating with the EU. Putin understands that crushing Georgia’s democratic and pro-Western aspirations can put a definitive end to these unwanted developments.

Along with the resistance of Georgians to the re-Russification of their country, it is necessary for the West to also act. The United States has taken steps in the right direction. Two bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate of that country to support Georgian democracy and sanction politicians and officials who try to destroy it.

Besides, The Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has announced that the granting of a visa to anyone who attacks democratic institutions or processes in Georgia will be restricted.

But if the proposed travel bans and financial sanctions are not to be empty threats, the United States and the EU must impose restrictions on Ivanishvili and key players in his circle, including thugs dedicated to intimidating protesters. This would be the clearest sign of Western support for Georgian democracy.

Meanwhile, in preparation for the October 2024 parliamentary election, Georgia needs as much help as possible, and this must include an army of election observers. Georgian opposition parties have begun to form a pro-European front to challenge the ruling party, but they will need strong international support.

The next election will be a referendum on Georgia’s European future, and if it is not fair, the West may lose its influence in the region. For Georgian democracy to survive this crisis, a coordinated policy from the United States and the European Union is needed. A victory for Putin’s allies would have devastating consequences for Georgians and the West.

The Georgian Parliament on Tuesday overrode the veto of the pro-Western president of that country, Salome Zurabishvili, and approved the law on “foreign influence,” defying the opposition, the European Union and the United States, which fear that this law will serve to repress the opposition, as already happened with a similar Russian law.

The veto was imposed on May 18 by President Zurabishvili and the Speaker of Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili. But both had indicated that members of the ruling party, G
eorgian Dream, with a majority in the chamber, “would surely overcome the veto.” And so it happened on Tuesday, when a total of 84 deputies of the 104 present voted in favor of the regulations and against the presidential veto, despite street protests and warnings from the European Union (EU) that the measure seriously affects Georgian aspirations to enter that bloc.

The detractors of this law, who have demonstrated by tens of thousands since the beginning of April, describe the text as a “Russian law” due to its similarity to legislation on “foreign agents” that Russia has used since 2012 to repress all dissident voice.

The law, approved by Parliament, provides that all NGOs or media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad must register as an “organization pursuing the interests of a foreign power” and undergo administrative control.

From Brussels, the European Union expressed in a statement that it “deeply” regretted the decision of the Georgian Parliament. The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, stated that the law is “contrary to the core principles and values” of the EU and urged “the Georgian authorities to reverse this trend and return firmly to the path of the European Union.”

And Borrell added that the Twenty-Seven are considering “all options to react to these events.”

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, announced that he will include a debate on the situation in Georgia at the next summit of EU leaders. “The adoption of the transparency law in Parliament is a step backwards and moves Georgia further away from its path towards the EU. The Georgian people have clearly chosen a future in the EU and we will do everything possible to support their ambitions,” the former Belgian prime minister wrote on his personal profile on the social network X.

For its part, the United States threatened this week to cut off the economic and military assistance it sends to Georgia each year. “We give Georgia $390 million annually in military assistance and economic development projects for institutions and civil society. “We will have to reevaluate all of that if the Georgian government now considers that the United States and other Western countries are no longer partners, but adversaries,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a press conference.

Miller condemned the adoption of this law, since it distances Georgia from the “path of European integration” and ignores the Georgian people who “for weeks have taken to the streets to express their opposition” to this law.

“The anti-Western rhetoric of the party that currently governs Georgia threatens Georgian democracy, its economic future and its membership in the European Union, and puts the relationship with the United States at risk,” the spokesperson said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken imposed sanctions against Georgian deputies who approved the new law and announced a “comprehensive review” of relations with Georgia.

SALOME SAMADASHVILI*
PROJECT SYNDICATE
Tbilisi