is this the magic luck for us has been so and divided by the british government for such little time on hub voices. tick tock had been a place for organizing politically, for getting people to vote for getting people to protest, connect with our community and tap into conversations you weren't find elsewhere. why is our government taking us to work on the basis of live? we the public have to get out there and do something about it. the stream on al jazeera, a political stand off in georgia, the government says a bill. it's trying to pause for a 2nd time. would regulate phone influence and protect the countries silver unsafe . the critics of protesting, it was crushed freedom. is this a crisis that will the royal george's fit to join the european union? this is inside story, the

header, the and welcome to the program. i'm laura kyle. georgia. is that a political cross rides? there's widespread angle on the street. so for a bill it's 6, the cub foreign funding of non governmental organizations. the prime minister says it's necessary to block external influences. the approach has to say the legislation would finance critics of the government ahead of parliamentary elections in october demonstrations last year. force the governing georgian dream party to drop an earlier version of the bill. the crisis is undermining the countries i'm fission to join the european union. and the books leaders have criticized the so called for an agents bill on prompting georgia kinds of it states as last december. they said they expect the quickest state to carry out traditional and electro reforms and improve press freedoms. will impact all these issues and just a moment for the experts. but for us this report by send to them on a protest against the so called for an agents bill or growing in georgia.

the opposition is united with demonstrator saying it's a par, terry. and, and similar to a low rush it uses to crush, to send this to me. i most, i want to show the position of my family know to russia a pulse and futures and you are because we need to use the injustice and european all the way the system. so if the people are not the other way around, the system doesn't serve the people. the proposed law would require organizations receiving more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents or face spines and the governing party. georgia. dream has organized riley use of its own supporters say it's necessary to protect georgia from harmful outside influences that could undermine traditional values and or mom or in a sense of what month aligned mother tongue in face of the pellets of our identity . one, i'd never say no to my identity. earlier this month up role erupt in parliament during debates on the law. another sign of how he did division to become the

european union as war and the passing. the bill could undermine georgia's bid to join the block. the country was granted candidate status in december and most georgia and voters are in favor of membership. the government has a majority in parliament and could push the bill through without opposition support . and it has the most override any presidential veto. but many in georgia are concerned that this little could have major implications for how the country is governed in the future. and whether that future will include being part of the european union. since and monahan al jazeera for inside story are without college units, half of all of it is outside the parliament in georgia is capital to please see my politicians audit basing the bill. so why near the palm and building right now? nothing indicates that the georgia and capital has been shaken 5 months of all positions process and the last 2 weeks. but more protests are expected later on today as call them and says,

approving the 2nd of 3 readings of the controversial for inflows. trunk, hiring single, some preparations are in the way for it right now. i georgia dream policy trying to adopt the same. the last chair, buddy cold, major pros has that 10 funding, so the drop have to be revised to many brief assign, really fonts on, but in fines. it was plus part of the forward his didn't the bonds and the idea to adopted the latest valley here and to police of action in support or below. it was organized by the georgia dream policy, more than 150000 people gathered here. but a position media outlets reported most of those people were a state workers and they have been brought here from the georgia, the governing policy rules and years to register as being under the 4 influence. if they receive more than 20 percent of the funding from abroad, something the positions of hers is the cold of build the russian law as most squeezes. similar legislation to confound them. from critics. these people support georgia's european posts on the keys. the current government of trying to return

the country to rush as old as they will in georgia to be part of the you on a european future for the country. reporting from the georgia and consul finished with us or pop all of her inside story. the, well, there's bringing all guests now and from t bc with joined by my m. last keys, a member of the georgia empowerment promoting the bill from brussels. 20 k. go dads, a fellow at jack to low institute and full of a minister of european integration of georgia. and also from to basically with joins by member of parliament catch. you can always say who is opposing the approval of this bill. great to have you will with us now, and let's start with you. perhaps you can tell us why the government is so keen to post this bill when there's so much opposition to it. all right, thank you very much. so 1st of all, for giving me give, giving me the opportunity to talk, so your audience where it's all sides with the lloyd. so the,

and the signature is ation, which has been the last that uh, they discussed the word agents. first of all, you know, think this thing in the last and the on, i think 80 this law requires this trust terrorist. it requires the organization and only non profit organizations, not citizens. so declared their for income. if it's more than 20 percent, this is much lighter version of american firewall and based on you directed by the way you rock control on wednesdays in the process of acquiring the transference of last. as we speak, price already has it's in sports and more than $15.00 countries. so those wires including gus trend, the, i kind of dine cetera are discussing this. well, we're located in the trim live politically for dry location. and i have to also say that we are, is gone fine, not totally by the russian, but also the for georgia political situation which are the basis and the occupation,

which is the, by russia, their forces in our country said want to, why this country. so this 70 station in order to gain back the power therefore lows . so check up which is display is extremely important for our country and this is also very timely. initiated. so we okay. they take off the people, they do. okay. miami laid out the the, the reason is full. thank you very much. cash i can always already seen shaking your head back. can you lay out the reasons for your position to the floor? oh, thank you very much. actually, i'm sister, i'm sitting no just now on so i didn't get that. the mentor recession room where the very hard the beach about the, about the russian law because of the largest citizen. so i mean, they don't college law about the bill about the teen parents, the, it may call the restaurant call. it's not about the transfer. say, i mean, let me explain why it's about, it's are russian billy under all the guard between

a venue shortly. he used to be the former prime minister of georgia. i'm here in the lot of money in early ninety's direct shop. and yesterday key when he had the big gathering the front of the georgia problem and from governmental gatherings. and made it very clear that the 14 number one and a me is the, was the us on cold war part see, i mean, global work party, everybody who criticizes came on for one 3rd, j to be integrated into the rope and union. and i mean, to call them like, you know, they want to drug georgette into the work. so it's about the new surely. who made the jo, political choice. and actually i called these do russian bill to because i mean, it's about the jo poetic products. i mean, it's not about the transference because nothing to explain. so here i have, i'm in the session room. sorry. it does. it's very nice. so here is a note of what displays have been here to it. so the transparency of regulation

laws shouldn't by means this is a, apply no, you know, just the drops our report. no, it's report by o. c. oh dear. and it's then it's about like um, uh, 50 pages and it's not very well and very clearly that the slot is against the on demand footprints, that pulls out the rep and union and the freedom of association. i'm actually just today, the minister don't care. so it, it was a former minister of georgia for and as her as minister of georgia, he's in brussels anecdotally, our introducing upfront partners in brussel. they told him birth clearly that the is law about transfer. so which is not about trans paula zip transfer. and so because the gym legislation regularly, they uh, a lot that we have a lot, a lot of bills regulating the georgia and know the income or, and jo, sensical, society see, i mean, in the tax code at the time of, okay, now you're transferring. so the agent, so actually, i mean, your opinion. yeah,

maybe it's very clear in georgia problem and we'll publish law. there will be no choice for your opinion to ration up for georgia and, you know, the sort of the, again, just one part. i just want my room to respond to that. does this now scott does is move this if it's paused when it's gotta george's membership to be your opinion. first of all, we, um, i am used to hearing the like the from my call. they come from a position because there's a fall and she's already brandy does the liar because to one she was the kind of a thing that the georgia saw of 2 companies function and that's georgia has to georgia rush. she's buying boards to both the kids. so if you create, forget the name, it is the yeah, you're a member to the section. yes, sure. the evidence was that the,

the specialist read uh hire invoice said that there is not the any evidence of it. so that's why i think and another one of the opposition representative, he had a transformed old expected jake location of the main sal assigned the resolution for the face of russian interest 10 by the have the on the goes to to came out just to give the brandy and tomorrow if you don't mind because we need to keep on track with this particular discussion, we don't have very long to get to the ultimate let me bring it in to an a k. at this stage you'll the embrace. so was, is the block saying about best bell? there was a unanimous from the mission of israel and uh, just uh, uh, quotes on that. busy issue to tell you that georgia, that these lawyers adults do are each will jo provider to destroy the chance of do you have georgia to uh, to become

a member even to start the conversation about the membership, the nubian union. so the person who's so from the, from the majority party and she should be updated on her personal and talking points when she's comparing the more to the existing laws of the west, some different western democracies, the leader of the georgia dream yesterday said that the target was explicitly the west, so it is impossible to understand this extremely ambiguous and it's, this is kind of a, i don't know, are constantly comes for the 3 to say that the georgia is adopting. you're the most it case. you want to use the, the, the, the, the, to the georgia dream is now to qualify. i'll do a position as a forwarding address is preparing, who do time in georgia. this is a very clear that continues to the language that was, that is used also in bellows and these kind of countries. so every,

each reaction i'm coming from brussels from the capital is billy harris also from washington was know this law is not something that we have in our legislation. this is something that is the pace of the russian law. and no, there was no secret that never georgia since the 2012 has a found any russian spies. any russian agents in 12 years were in everywhere the world in all democracies. there they are. and lots of findings of reference, a spice or russian influence network. never georgia has ever mentioned us as a, as a, as a, as a source to, to georgia's democracy and all the west is now considered as the threat to georgia democracy, which is something also. okay, ma'am, i want to that now address that same question to you again, when you head directly from brussels, the you is saying this bill is likely to destroy negotiations for georgia's

accession to e u membership. is that something that concerns the georgia dream policy? um, 1st of all, georgia dream parts. it is the, the only powerful as in the tech support association. all the key milestones we tried towards your broken integration starting from institution agreements. the dfcs please, the liberalization, as well as these tests, as we remember also last year, when those who are aware lead to previous to government, those members of the problem where kelley says, if we do not release former president from present, and by the way, he's not to present, as i can say next, we will not get the candidate successes, but the fact was different, right? so we see that. so sometimes it helps only about the, the few members of the problem if you are talking about and initiating the resolution. but it's all about the priest, the polls and key values, which we're sliding for towards the european union. we know that by every day,

and we, i like to definitely say this is the arrow perceptions and anyone can create the perceptions towards the award russian a. so uh with the, uh, it's kind of a damaging because the georgia dream was the party who has raised system motions and who also receive up to society a by retreat has around 90 percent support to european union. and then i saw a membership. i just thought majority major, your foreign x rays, and we have to look at the evidence. the ok, well the now let's just bring cash we had. so put back to have a, you know, we have my, i'm saying the georgia dream policy is still storage. the pro europe, it brought georgia to the canada that states us at the end of last year and it remains so what do you say to that as well? unfortunately, i mean i can say that the murray,

i'm have very poor arguments about because they don't have arguments. first of all, drugs in the sites is the tentative sales to your rep can you and yeah, but, but, but the people of georgia who last year just, you know, they had serious protests and money for station, especially youngsters against the russian law against this for an agent law and actually by the end of march, 2023 georgian green said that they will never gonna be back to this slow again. i mean, so they broke the problem is against the georgetown people. so this year and actually to attend to this dentist, i mean we go to a lot of friends invitations from the european union then. yes, i mean we have to be in compliance with the, with the line of, with the recommendation i'm working on page. so these are commendations that'd been broken again by the georgia 3 inches and the number one is the. it brings up these 4 in agents law again. so when we're talking about the growth in union and into ration so, but surely i have to run my call to remind my paulding and also your audience was

probably not very much aware of the dispute. and you're a deluxe. your united states sanction. former prosecutor general parts how laza and say that the parts, colorado who used to be the very close associate. so be the name of an issue of the and the general persecutor. who was the russians pipe? actually a position and the lots of plus people society and joe. oh, so i mean on the georgia and people be requesting thing this. the geisha in against is russian supply protocol lot but, but unfortunately, i mean, we never received and got your response for gen 3 and so they covered for color. thank the harvard was forward. they coverage with national bank. so when it's up to 12 parents, the and my colleagues said talking about so far as they know, it's not so because i mean we have, i mean the, probably the most on trust perente clip talk. frontier temperament was the only bird can. so i have to say that the opinion, integration and nature integration,

it will be on the stretch. so that's why a lot of people have been pretty tough, seemed outside the problem and for the bad just now. and to tell you the georgia dream already dropped this bill last year because of all these shoes protests against it. so why is it picked it up again? now you're pretty tons to know much better than european union. what does you just have, which is not so even 90 percent of your opinion and come back as well. so it just makes us because you are p and so it is unbelievable when it comes to association agreement isn't defined the compressor free trade agreement. these agreements were prepared by the previous government and only signed by the con government, so they shouldn't take the benefit towards that time that everyone remembers how, how we, how we talk. and when, when you're being union and gave you the candidate stuff as to georgia, it was a geopolitical decision. you political decision because you didn't want georgia to state. also, they stop coming and the large one's a weight and the it was a given they're providing. but the 9 very clear and the completion

of what's going to be applied in georgia by the georgia. now coming to your question, yes, the board was abandoned last year. but this year, do you have so grateful elections in october? and so as the leader of georgians read yesterday, playing the key polls the slow and again, no, to introduce to positions, he never human them, he's not lying about this is a business. he said, a society, an independent spread out of the 49 years. and he needs to move to we can them before the election, what, what you said the key in 10 seconds. a secondary question is that a georgia needs. so russia needs to see from georgia, a sign of allegiance and loyalty. and these kind of most article people told me in georgia, but or indifference. former soviet countries were all the russian reports. and this,

he says, fine allegiance to russia and demonstration of loyalty. why never russia is never mentioned as it corrects george's independence, george russell. i just 20 percent of george's territory and the biggest threat to georgia is the and yours and repressed that. we seats more than 20 percent of the budget and from the, from the with. okay, so the pulse that over to you, what is the exact threats coming from n g a is, 1st of all we have to say that the, uh, the, i have to respond that it was prepared by the previous government. so when we came into power that they were saying like to yours, they really pack the of the students and i from a signature from the other power was the, the one to talk to really working on it. by the time i was working go to these pace minutes, bellevue integration. so i remember the, the faces myself when. 6 talking about the dropping of the legislation,

i have to say that 1st of all, i know the issue was the stuff up by in georgia is 3700000 people. we have 25000. thank goes uh, working to the capital. and this is the, the highest number pick, copy times x, comparing to every rock in and every country on the other side we have to also notice that the com thank so far for instance where there is the low b. so privacy here, we have the n g of what participating in political decision making and the development and transparency of those organizational said when talking of individually with the, the practice. i mean, they cannot even name at least one sentence from the law, which she's saying does more than transparency when we dropped the to all the so low because is a game big, i think they should send and calling everything. ok, so,

so the resolution which was the 14th the ukraine when these are the works package, which was initiated by our call me see if you price support resolution the names and rented the russian resolution. and this is like a pad of ever seeing humans. the bustle can be named the russian, so this is the branding and the typical branding of the speak, my position, and other say, why do we have drop is listed there were a list of one plus francis and this you directly. meanwhile, we have the to a live, but you can go to e d. this is the rock in a funder who were, who are mainly financing be thank goes to come directly, goes to this website and see that after 2021. there is no to not the data about the projects we say uh right. do you talk to them? okay, so let's just bring time to now and then. um, so what was the concern about this bills impact on

n g a is and civil society more broadly in georgia? well, i'm wondering why um ms. laska doesn't response about the name of initially. i mean, the chair of the well let me know board chair for her because i mean, she doesn't have been asked to read about it. actually when we're talking about the trust 1st of the money, nobody knows how did you know of an issue of there and a lot of money in russia in the 90s. and i don't think that the rush line ninety's is frustrating. it would be the name of industry and it had been doing there was so trust for rent that day. you have tomorrow, right. i'm in the world brown to talk about the swap. sorry, cathy has mentioned the phones of georgia dream policy, the ex prime minister even has really a number of times today. could you just give us an idea of how influential he is when his sentiments nice because he was very pro your opinion, is he now more pro from lead and, and why he's way of most on the political front lines now. he's personal. well,

he's uh something according to fortunately magazine, something like 60 and so for dollars and george's annual gp, 16 billions. so we can imagine the rest of your piece, well, send a manual gdp over the cost which is uh, higher in the world. it's even higher than blue nato salon. i don't even know this comes through your page. so yeah, they do all the ministers of georgia dream. all the members of the georgia g model approved personal buyers visited between the shootings. and i don't know who told you that he was you appear, georgia population is for europeans and the georgia dream has to pay attention to the majority of joining population. 80 percent of georgia's are for european union, so they cannot directly attacking virginia. that's why they are at. busy thing, these are really strategies saying you won't be as bad, but we'll, we won't euro so this is that they tried to call the men saying design. did you see

that it doesn't work anymore because they are switching directly. i talked to the european union on the west and just the last point when, when the game, the person from the majority a said that she works for the association agreement. i'm sorry, i was the chief negotiator. maybe she doesn't remember, but i was never, she's there for 2 years. i'm haul in this negotiate and so like, i don't remember either, but i don't know. maybe she was doing a power of negotiations. okay. okay. uh let's, that's not, that's title is the story. okay. the guys want to bring mary, i'm incentives for further discussion for a little bit now because we've got these problem entry elections do. in october the georgia dream will be seeking a full time in the office. will it be a free and fair election? my room? yes, stephan, it's this way and fair election was assessed by or the or the or less the election

as well. but on the, i didn't know to be helpful to mention that the georgia dream is the, uh, the party who has main russia and one be a core to 5 boards to against russia. and if the government on the country or whoever is the pro russian, they cannot do all the kind of feature in our track record west. we have a last shot for the fall. we need to be course for me to national i, to my courts as well. even though the previous regime signed the resolution squared bank has named our all soldiers of testing before. even though they're not gonna have to jump into that because you're going to go to the best buy. what do you have on hatch? yeah. what, what she thinks about these elections that are coming up? let's look for the on tow, but elections will georgians dream when a full time in office?

well, let me show you. i mean, i'm very sorry about my colleague because she doesn't have their dement so she has to prepare a better. but actually i can say yes, so they busy. no, but it's really heavy again, just on the lines that the for he there are 2 very important factors for the next election is central election commission and it's the ports and 200, both of them today actually the georgia dream had voted for the new sunflower exchange commission had the which is up so it's, it's a bird united to the door, jens, remind me by initially. and i have to on the line that they, she said that does these 2 elements are very much reports and heard that you want to really mean a thing, goes and civil society not to bring the, the inter nation of all observers and to eliminate all this and your school wants to really and had the credits ation and license to really just observe that margaret has here. i just the general in the, again to print up the old server is yeah, because we have run out of time of thank you very much to our expect today for

a lively discussion. indeed, it does highlight the divisions in georgia at the moment, but he, thanks to all guest catch ya kinda its a ton of changing my quote as a and my last game. thank you to for watching. you can see the program again, any time for visiting our website that's out. is there a dot com for further discussion? do guys? well, facebook page, that's facebook dot com. forward slash a inside story. you cause to join the conversation on x. so homeless at a inside story for me, laura kyle: and the whole team here is by the guns july 2014. as is where the forces bombarded the gaza strip for 50 days. residents of the coming to the deaf and devastation seen through the eyes of

palestinian camera, uncompleted, hama, who films and strikes the 2 tons of life including his own garza. the last picture on, on the, in the center i bet is due to the

we are the ones traveling the extra mile where all the media don't go. we go there and we give them a chance to tell their story. the, [000:00:00;00] the hello, i'm sorry, i minimize the, this is the news, our life from dialogue coming up in the next 60 minutes. right columbia university in new york and arrest students protesting against the war and gaza themselves inside of building gas is use it as bus students in