Georgia has every reason to support decisions against Russia. That’s why they withdrew a bill that was deemed pro-Moscow by Georgian citizens.
Georgia, a country in the Caucasus region bordering Russia to the north, is facing political trouble amid loud protests. The country, itself a former Soviet Republic that achieved independence in 1991, burst into chaos on Wednesday evening after a seemingly pro-Russian bill was proposed.
The bill, proposed by the leading party Georgian Dream, would label any organization that receives over 20% of funds from overseas as a “Foreign agent”. A similar law was passed in Russia in 2012, and helped in repressing opposition parties against Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Georgia is an official candidate to become a member of the European Union, a status formalized after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to critics, this bill would hamper the chances for Georgia’s entrance into the EU.
The European Union itself has criticized the bill, stating that it “goes directly against the Georgian authorities’ declared ambition to receive candidate status for EU membership”. According to the EU authorities, this bill serves to stigmatize civil organizations and media under the guise of transparency.
Protests have erupted in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital city, against the bill. On Thursday, one day after the proposal, Georgian Dream withdrew the bill, listening to protesters.
Georgia and Russia
While Georgian Dream has been often accused of being a pro-Russian party, Georgia has its fair share of reasons to align against Moscow.
Much like Ukraine, Georgia too was ruled by the Soviet Union and very gladly broke free once the entire country fell apart.
And, much like Ukraine, Georgia was a target for Russian expansionism in the decades following the fall of the Soviet Union.
Georgia was outright invaded by Putin’s Russia in 2008, in a conflict that resulted in almost 200.000 civilians losing their homes. Russia occupied two Georgian regions: Abkhazia and Ossetia, which declared their independence as separate republics.
Similar to how the two Donbass republics were “supported” by Putin in the 2022 Ukraine invasion, the two Georgian republics swore their allegiance to Russia.
Since then, Georgia has had to live with Russian soldiers within their internationally recognized borders. Therefore, it has every reason to wish support against Russia by joining the European Union and NATO.
Entrance in these two organizations is, however, slow coming. To get inside the EU, Georgia would first have to solve a plethora of economic issues that still plague the country.
Further, having an open border dispute with Russia will likely slow if not completely halt negotiations to enter NATO. Otherwise, it would likely be an open war between NATO and Russia, and therefore World War III.
