OUR Moscow presented as an “attempt” of a coup d’état organized by the West, mass mobilizations in Agriculturewhich forced the country’s government to withdraw the bill, which its critics compared with the repressive legislation applied in Russia.

OUR Russian presidency stated that she sees the “hand” of the United States behind the protests in the country, which, according to her, they are trying to provoke.anti-Russian sentiment“.

After three days of protests involving tens of thousands of people, marred in many cases by violent incidents, the Georgian parliament finally withdrew the contentious text on Friday, as promised by the government a day earlier.

The government also announced release of people who were detained on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The events were a continuation of the deep political crisis of recent years in Georgia, a Caucasian EU candidate country, where part of the population fears authoritarian deviation in the form of Russia.

The demonstrators and the opposition also compared the withdrawn bill with the text implemented in Russia on “foreign agents” and is used to silence your opponents Kremlin.

The text did provide that non-governmental organizations and media outlets whose income exceeds 20% of their income would be labeled “foreign agents” under threat of a fine.

For Moscow, the mobilization has become “a pretext for starting an attempt to change the regime by force,” the head of Russian diplomacy said yesterday. Sergei Lavrov.

He compared the protests to his own revolution. Maidan in 2014 in Ukraine, which the Russian side described as a Western-instigated coup that provided military support to Kyiv after the Russian army invaded Ukraine a year ago.

Kremlin representative Dmitry Peskov previously attacked her Salomis Zurabisvilia political friend of the President of Georgia close to the EU, whose powers, however, are limited, since he called the withdrawal of the bill a “victory”, “but not in Georgia, but in America”.

“Very strong pressure”

Peskov spoke of “a very visible hand that seeks to stir up anti-Russian sentiment,” apparently referring to Washington.

“For more than two centuries” the Russians have been “attacking” and “occupying the territories of sovereign countries,” and “what is important is what the Georgian people wanted to say when they took to the streets again,” Zurabishvili said. …yesterday Friday from New York.

“We already have Russian troops in our country (…) this did not prevent them from remaining independent and continuing their journey to Europe (…) nothing can stop us,” he continued, reasoning that “this is the only way” for Georgia to remain “sovereign and independent”.

Last night the President of Germany Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, expressed support for his Georgian counterpart Zurabishvili and assured her that his country “supports Georgia on its European path.” “This course includes freedom of the press and civil society,” he added.

OUR White Housewhose national security adviser Jake Sullivan meeting with Georgian President Zurabisvili yesterday, he signaled that Washington “welcomes” the government’s decision in Tbilisi to withdraw the controversial bill.

The American official also urged Georgia to comply with them. sanctions which were introduced ca. thirty countries in Russia after its military invasion of Ukraine and “should not be used to evade sanctions,” according to a press release issued by the US president.

President of France Emmanuel Macron for his part, he denounced the “very strong pressure” on Georgia and expressed hope for a “calming down” of tensions.

Georgia, a former Soviet republic that was defeated in a blitzkrieg with Russia on 2008officially wants to join European Union and to NATO.

However, the imprisonment of the former president Mikhail Saakashvili in late 2021 and controversial measures promoted by the ruling party raised doubts about the country’s drive to join the West.

Mr. Saakashvili praised the protesters’ “resistance” against the “barbaric violence against them.” He inherited indirectly but clearly the former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvilithe billionaire founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, whom he commissioned a controversial bill: “Neither Russia nor its barbaric oligarchs can defeat” the Georgian protesters, he said.

After the text was rejected by the parliament in an article-by-article reading, about 300 protesters gathered in a calm atmosphere outside the building with a rather discreet police presence.

“The Georgian people have won and will continue to fight for their European future,” the 20-year-old student said among other protesters holding signs reading “We are Europe.”

AFP