Georgia’s parliament speaker vows to override presidential veto on divisive foreign influence bill
Associated PressMay 31
EU Official Denies Making Threats to Georgian Prime Minister
Above: Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobachidse arrives to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chancellery on April 12, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Image copyright: Sean Gallup/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Relations between the EU and Georgia took a turn for the worse on Thursday after Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze accused a top EU official of making threats and seeking to intimidate him — allegations that were denied by the bureaucrat.
It comes amid already thawed relations between the EU and Georgia as the country looks poised to pass its version of a foreign agents bill — a law that would require media and non-governmental institutions to register as entities pursuing foreign interests if more than 20% of their funding comes from abroad.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This was not a threat by the EU commissioner. It was simply stated that in these already volatile times in Georgia, moving forward with this controversial bill would only pour flames on the fire and could realistically lead to the regrettable violence that was recently witnessed in Slovakia. The commissioner's words were distorted and placed out of context.
Establishment-critical narrative
Even in the face of existing blackmail by EU officials, alluding to the assassination attempt on the Slovak prime minister was a shocking new low. Nonetheless, it provides even more evidence that the Global War Party would like nothing more than to create the same revolution in Georgia as it did in Ukraine in order to open up another front against Russia.