Georgian premier warns Ukraine's Zelensky against meddling in his country's domestic affairs

The Georgian prime minister has accused Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky of meddling in his country's domestic affairs by commenting on ongoing protests against a controversial bill claimed to be inspired by Russia.

Over the past days, thousands of people have taken to the streets of Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi, to protest against a “foreign agents” draft law, which targets the disclosure of money flows from abroad.

The proposed legislation stipulates that organizations, such as media outlets, could be classified as “foreign agents” if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad. Critics claim the legislation is a way for the Georgian government to crack down on opposing voices.

Detractors have also pointed to a similar law passed in Russia, where all organizations or individuals receiving financial support from abroad or under some form of “foreign influence” are declared “foreign agents.”

Reacting to the protests in Georgia, Zelensky thanked the demonstrators for waving Ukrainian flags and said it showed respect for Kiev, wishing Georgians "democratic success.”

According to reports, at least 66 people were arrested on Tuesday evening as the protests turned violent.

"When a person who is at war... responds to the destructive action of several thousand people here in Georgia, this is direct evidence that this person is involved, motivated to make something happen here too, to change," Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said in an interview with the state TV on Sunday in reference to Zelensky.

"I want to wish everyone a timely end to this war, and peace," Garibashvili said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday likened the protests to a "coup attempt" being orchestrated from abroad to create an "irritant" on Russia's borders.

Russia likens Georgia protests to foreign-sourced 'coup attempt'

Russia likens ongoing protests in neighboring Georgia to a coup attempt being orchestrated from abroad.

Stressing that the "foreign agents" legislation had been "used as an excuse to start, generally speaking, an attempt to change the government by force," Lavrov equated the rallies with "Kiev's Maidan" uprising that toppled a Russian-friendly administration in Ukraine in 2014.

Georgia fought its own brief war with Russia in 2008 over the status of the two Moscow-backed breakaway regions of Azkhazia and South Ossetia.

Georgia applied for EU membership together with Ukraine and Moldova days after Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Russia began its “special military operation” in Ukraine with a declared aim of “demilitarizing” Donbas, which is made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk self-proclaimed republics. Back in 2014, the two republics, which are predominantly Russian-speaking, broke away from Ukraine, prompting Kiev to launch a bloody war against both regions. The years-long conflict has killed more than 14,000 people, mostly in the Donbas.

Since the onset of the conflict between the two countries, the United States and its European allies have unleashed an array of unprecedented sanctions against Russia and poured numerous batches of advanced weapons into Ukraine to help its military fend off the Russian troops, despite repeated warnings by the Kremlin that such measures will only prolong the war.

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