The President asks Macron to come to Tbilisi

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who vetoed the controversial law on “foreign influence”, asked French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday to come to Tbilisi to “finally remove the Caucasus (…) from Russian influence.” He added: “Emmanuel Macron has promised me practically since my election in 2018 that he will come.” “He must do this before the start of the election campaign (Georgian legislative elections, editor's note) in September,” the president, in open conflict with the government, said in an interview with the newspaper. La Tribune Sunday.

He added: “France’s non-attendance is an aberration. I say this in very clear terms. Salome Zurabishvili, a former French diplomat, said: “I wrote to President Macron, and I am waiting for him on the occasion of Georgia’s Independence Day on May 26.” “It is not only Georgia that is at stake. It is also a question of ridding the Caucasus once and for all of the mentalities of the Soviet yoke and Russian influence.”

Veto the controversial law

The pro-European president announced on Saturday that she had vetoed this text, which sparked massive protests in this Caucasian country. But the ruling Georgian Dream party claims it has enough votes in parliament to overtake him. Critics of the law, which was passed on Tuesday, see it as an attempt to distract Georgia from Europe and drag it towards Russia. NATO, the European Commission and the United Nations condemned this.

The text requires any non-governmental organization or media outlet that receives more than 20% of its funding from abroad to register itself as an “organization seeking to achieve the interests of a foreign power” and to be subject to administrative control. No one here wants to enter into a confrontation with Russia. This is very important for the future of Europe, including a secure Europe. The Head of State noted that the Black Sea is an energy and communications transit zone.

On Sunday, France and Germany expressed their “deep concern about the situation in Georgia.” In a message on Facebook, co-signed by Olaf Scholz, German Chancellor Emmanuel Macron estimated that the “foreign influence” law conflicts “with European values.” “Our two countries have been ardent advocates of the European path for Georgia, a candidate for EU membership since December, and “we deeply regret the decision of the Georgian government and ruling party to deviate from this path,” the French President and the German Chancellor added.