Civil Georgia
February 27, 2023

U.S. Ambassador Speaks to Media about Draft Laws on Foreign Agents and NBG

The U.S. Ambassador Kelly Degnan attended the event taking stock of the activities of the President of the National Bank. In her remarks to the media, she once again spoke of the draft laws on Foreign Agents as well as about the NBG bill amendment.

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“These laws are aimed at blocking Georgians who are helping other Georgians….”

Degnan drew parallels between the way these bills seek to stigmatize the civil society and the reality in Russia, where the government is actively silences dissenting voices….This is the reason why the UN, the EU and the US representatives have been actively expressing their concerns about possible legislative changes.

Ambassador Degnan also remarked on the amendments to the Organic Law on the National Bank of Georgia during the event. She expressed support for the decision of the Georgia’s President Salome Zurabishvili, who has vetoed these amendments: “There’s nothing more important to the credibility of a central bank than its independence. We agree with the IMF and the President that these amendments put that in question.”

…“[The amendments] are contrary to international best practices, and I fear that they put in jeopardy one of the most important independent institutions in ensuring Georgia’s stability during a very turbulent time,” she noted.

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The Messenger
February 27, 2023

Kelly Degnan Speaks About Negative Impacts of ‘On Transparency of Foreign Influence’ Bill

US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan stated that the “On transparency of Foreign Influence” bill is Russian and aims to silence dissenting views.

According to her, the initiated bill differs from the American one….

US Ambassador Degnan said that there is no problem of transparency of foreign funds and donors’ finances in Georgia.

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“This law is also inconsistent with US law. The US law targets lobbyists and law firms hired by foreign governments to represent the interests of those foreign governments. That is not what this bill is about.

“This bill is a Russian law. This bill aims to silence civil society and silence dissenting views.“