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Exclusive: There is no temptation to return to Russia, Georgian President Zourabichvili says
euronews (in English)
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17/05/2024
In an exclusive interview with Euronews the Georgian President Salomé Zourabichvili discussed vetoing the controversial foreign agents bill, police brutality and the potential in Georgia's upcoming parliamentary elections.
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00:00
Days after it was passed by the Parliament, Georgia's president has told Euronews she'll
00:05
veto the controversial foreign influence bill.
00:09
Its approval puts Georgia's bid to join the EU in jeopardy.
00:12
"This law will pass, the veto will be overruled or it will be modified in a marginal and uninterested
00:20
way.
00:21
So the important thing today is to go to the elections."
00:24
The ruling party says the law will promote transparency and national sovereignty.
00:29
But riot police have been brought in to break up protests against it.
00:33
"These are brutalities that are not the police acting like any police, but special forces
00:43
that have a police registration but no identification.
00:48
So investigations, investigations on the perpetrators of the brutality are not possible.
00:55
So we are in a situation that could escalate into violence at any time."
01:03
She says the upcoming parliamentary election in October will give the voters a chance to
01:08
reverse the law.
01:09
"Through elections we will have a referendum on Europe.
01:13
That's how we will see the next elections, which will not be normal elections, which
01:18
will be elections to stop this deviation.
01:22
I use a weak word, it's just a deviation, we're going to come back on the road, but
01:27
it's important to do it through elections.
01:30
And above all, the European Union must say very clearly that it will take into account
01:35
the choice of the Georgian.
01:36
That is, it will not sanction the country.
01:38
I distinguish between individual sanctions and the country.
01:41
But the country will not be sanctioned until its response is not known in the polls."
01:48
She dubbed the Russian law "the Bill of Silence" and the Kremlin's legislation used to silence
01:52
critics.
01:53
"What I can guarantee is that in this country, which has experienced at least three wars
02:00
and decades of occupation by the different Russia, not to say centuries, which has 20
02:08
percent of its territory occupied, on which there are no days that go by without hostages
02:13
taken, where the Georgian language is practically forbidden, where the rights of man, including
02:20
non-Georgian populations, are violated every day, there can be no temptation to return
02:27
to the Russian gyron, especially when we look at what Russia is today."
02:32
The President has until May 28 to act on the bill, which targets foreign-funded media and
02:38
non-profit organizations.
02:40
government could overrule her veto.
02:42
[WHOOSH]
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