“The President has granted Georgian Dream another opportunity to prevent the passage of the controversial Russia-inspired law and to uphold the presidential veto,” stated Giorgi Mskhiladze, the President’s Parliamentary Secretary.

“The polarization and controversy sparked by this Russian law in our country are well-known. The President has given the ruling Georgian Dream party a further chance to prevent the adoption of this law and to uphold the presidential veto. It is up to the GD to decide on when and how to override the veto,” Mskhiladze added.

Responding to a journalist’s question about whether the President hindered dialogue, Mskhiladze clarified, “The president did not block anything.”

“At the second reading, the President urged the Parliament to thoroughly discuss the law, to review it, and to consider it in light of the calls from our international partners. Unfortunately, the Georgian Dream did not take into account. Thus, it is unclear why the president would be accused of obstructing dialogue. The notes were not included in the bill because this law, being of Russian origin, is entirely unacceptable. It was the Georgian Dream to block negotiations on the law,” Mskhiladze concluded.