The U.S. State Department spokesperson noted that Washington welcomes the withdrawal of Georgia’s Foreign Agents Act as a positive step. He expressed this stance during a daily briefing, underscoring the United States’ view that transparency and civil society safeguards are important standards in allied democracies.
According to the spokesperson, Georgia’s Foreign Ministry also urged the ruling party to drop the bill, arguing that such legislation would conflict with Georgia’s euro-Atlantic orientation and its commitments to democratic norms shared with its partners in North America and Europe.
On March 7, Georgia’s parliament introduced the bill titled “On Transparency of Foreign Influence,” which would create a register of foreign-funded non-governmental organizations and media outlets. The move sparked protests in Tbilisi, with demonstrators occupying areas around the parliament for two days. In response, lawmakers announced they would not advance the bill at that time.
Following the demonstrations, some protesters who gathered outside the parliament were detained. Reports indicate that several individuals were later released after administrative processing on March 7 and 8 as authorities sought to manage the crowd and maintain public order.
President Salome Zurabishvili credited civil society efforts for the broader public discourse and welcomed the withdrawal of the foreign agents bills, signaling a willingness to pursue consensus and engage with citizens on issues of transparency and governance in Georgia’s evolving political landscape.