“Legislation is essential to protect the country and its democracy from unscrupulous interference from abroad,” Levan Makhashvili, Chair of the parliamentary EU Integration Committee, told the GPB’s First Channel.

According to Makhashvili, if anyone has claims over the lawfulness of the draft bill, they should apply to the court.

“We have heard statements of foreigners who, as it turns out, instead of thinking about their own population, are concerned 24 hours how to bring money into Georgia to pursue their own interests. In this situation, legislation is essential to protect the country and its democracy from unscrupulous interference from outside.

If anyone has claims over the lawfulness of the draft bill, they should apply to the court and argue there.  Criticism of the government is allowed, but when undermining the government’s legitimacy becomes a political strategy to cause instability in the country, this has no link with freedom of expression,” he said.