The Worker

Georgia and the Foreign Agents Bill Update

The view of the leadership of the Party of Communists USA is to ask Communist and Workers Parties their opinions and positions on the situation in their respective countries. Georgia, a former Soviet Republic, has been targeted by US-EU-NATO imperialist aggression since the period of the counterrevolution in the Soviet Union.

Ukraine and the Baltic countries were infiltrated in the 1990s by the Cold War former Waffen-SS collaborator groups which retreated to the side of Britain and the United States after the end of the second world war. Fascist ideology and outright Nazi collaborator groups are now present in Ukraine and the Baltic. Such groups are also active in Belarus and Russia but were expelled and have since found themselves on the side of the Ukrainian military, under the guidance of the United States, fighting under the “Russian Volunteer Corps” of Russian Nazi-NATO soldiers and the “Kaustus Kalinouski Regiment” of Belarussian Nazis.

Georgia was not conquered by the Third Reich during the second world war, known as the Great Patriotic War in the former Soviet Union, and it was a group of three Soviet soldiers, a Georgian, a Russian and a Ukrainian who hoisted the Victory flag over the Reichstag at the defeat of Nazi Germany. However, the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have pushed eastwards, now extending tendrils outside of historic Europe proper and into Central Asia and the Caucasus.

The goal of US-EU-NATO imperialism is to turn Georgia (and later Central Asia) into the next “Maidans” of coups to form puppet governments that are subservient to United States foreign policy. Against this backdrop, political forces in Georgia, including the Unified Communist Party, have been active in exposing spies and foreign funding within the country. In retribution for passing the Foreign Agents bill, which makes political organizations declare their funding sources among other things, the ruling political party has been sanctioned by the United States.

The situation in Georgia is ongoing, and the Unified Communist Party of Georgia has shared two English publications with the Daily Worker.

Ivanishvili appears to the people. Where will Georgia go after the “National Assembly”?

By Temur Pipia, International Secretary of the Unified Communist Party of Georgia

Despite days of protests by the radical Georgian opposition, on April 29, after a lengthy discussion replete with excesses, the parliamentary committee on legal issues in the second reading still supported the draft law “On Transparency of Foreign Influence.”

The latter, as its initiators argued, obliges organizations pursuing the interests of foreign power only to register in a public register and fill out an annual financial declaration, while critics of the law believe that the price of its adoption may be the loss of the prospects for European integration for the country.

Accordingly, the purpose of the opposition march, which took place on Sunday on the eve of the above-mentioned meeting of the parliamentary committee, was to prevent the adoption of the law in the second reading.

The organizers of the “Yes to Europe, No to Russian Law” march hoped to disrupt the “National Assembly” planned by the ruling Georgian Dream on Rustaveli Avenue, the very fact of which would indicate popular approval of the law.

The action organized by the country’s authorities was truly grandiose. In front of a huge number of citizens gathered on the main avenue of the capital, one after another, as if competing in eloquence, the leaders of the ruling political party spoke. The founder of the latter, Bidzina Ivanishvili, appeared before such a large public for the first time in many years after his “Dream” came to power.

At a rally organized in support of the bill, the honorary chairman of the party he created spoke about its services to the country. He drew the attention of those present to the fact that in terms of adherence to democratic rights and freedoms, the development of relevant institutions, and low corruption rates, Georgia is a leader among countries that have the status of a candidate for accession to the EU. The speaker also boasted about the growth rate of the Georgian economy, which, it turns out, is also the highest among the candidate countries.

A special place in Ivanishvili’s speech was given to the national movement, the tyrannical rule of which was brought to an end precisely by the efforts of Bidzina Ivanishvili and the political force he created. As if apologizing for the fact that, due to the patronage of the previous criminal regime by powerful Western patrons, it was not possible to properly punish them at one time , Ivanishvili promised the participants of the action “ to pass a strict political and legal sentence” on the “collective National Movement” for what they had done during the years of bloody rule , and for the sabotage committed by the Saakashists already as a radical position.

Ivanishvili’s promises were also made in the context of overcoming obstacles to strengthening the country’s sovereignty, maintaining peace, boosting the Georgian economy and gaining membership in the European Union by 2030.

It would seem that after such a statement the question of changing Georgia’s foreign policy course can be considered removed, but judging by the assessment the leader of the “dreamers” gave to the law “On Transparency…”, it seems that it is still relevant. And Ivanishvili literally said the following: “The public often asks why the transparency of NGOs is being fought so hard from abroad?… The full truth is that non-transparent funding of NGOs is the main tool with which Georgian authorities can be appointed from the outside .”

Ivanishvili almost openly accused Western donors of NGOs of the fact that the funds allocated to the latter are used to strengthen their agents and bring them to power, thereby depriving Georgia of state sovereignty.

Although the adoption of the law does not equate to an automatic change in the country’s foreign policy course, some shifts that have been observed in relations between Georgia and Russia in the recent period suggest that Georgia has refused to be anti-Russia. This is evidenced by the fact that Georgia did not open a second front against Russia, which, as Ivanishvili noted in his speech, became the reason for the “aggression of the global war party against Georgia.”

It is no secret that small states like Georgia are not free to choose their geopolitical course. In addition, the ruling “Dream”, accused by the radical opposition of promoting Russian interests, is in fact heterogeneous precisely in relation to the foreign policy preferences of its members. Thanks to the cohabitation imposed from outside, the administrative composition at all levels of government is very doubtful, from the point of view of loyalty to the authorities. From the same point of view, a difficult situation has developed in the country’s intelligence services and law enforcement agencies.

The above, along with the dire socio-economic situation of the Georgian people, which contradicts the assertion of the leaders of the ruling party about the high growth rates of the Georgian economy, together make the threat of overthrowing the government through illegal means real.

Unfortunately, we have to admit that the main character of the “National Assembly” did not even mention the needs of the common people, poverty in the regions, high levels of unemployment, insane prices for essential products and medicines, mass migration of the most talented, able-bodied citizens and etc. etc. All this is grist to the mill of the aggressive and uncompromising radical Georgian opposition, which, moreover, is generously financed from outside precisely for the purpose of organizing a coup in the country.

Despite the severity of the current situation, part of Georgian society shares optimistic forecasts, according to which the country’s authorities will still be able to prevent a coup.

Firstly, although the ruling “Dream” has disappointed the Georgian people with its lack of spine in the matter of fulfilling the promises given to voters back in 2012 regarding the restoration of justice, and its incompetent, essentially anti-people socio-economic policy, the memory of the atrocities that During their reign, the “nationals” distinguished themselves.

The hatred of the Georgian society for the latter at critical moments in the life of the country, namely during elections, be it presidential, parliamentary or local, has always saved the ruling “Dream”. Moreover, the political field in the country has been so cleared that the Georgian voter has practically no other alternative.

Secondly, despite the occasionally aggravated relations between European officials and the political force ruling Georgia, the latter has always managed to resolve differences at the cost of concessions and personnel changes. We can believe that she will succeed this time too. After all, abstracting from the lobbyists of Georgian radicals in the European Parliament, it can be argued that, by and large, that is, from an ideological point of view, these contradictions are by no means antagonistic.

And the passions around the law on foreign agents are perhaps connected with the financial side of the issue no less than with the task of taking control of the course and results of the upcoming elections. We should not forget that already in June of this year the deputy corps of the European Parliament will be renewed, the likely predominance of the influence of the right in which may change the internal and foreign policy course of the EU.

Thirdly, if the West still fundamentally intends to promote the radical opposition in changing the Georgian government, including through a coup, then the legitimate question is: what reasons could the leaders of the ruling political force have for the courage and even audacity they have shown in their speeches and actions? And regarding the fate of the transparency law? But a law banning pro-Western LGBT propaganda is also on the way.

It can be assumed that the country’s leadership, by adopting the mentioned laws, hopes to increase the rating of its party. By declaring the results of polls, according to which the ruling party is currently supported by 60% of voters, the Dream leaders are thereby demonstrating their readiness to win the upcoming elections on their own. As was said, the Georgian Dream, at critical moments, has always managed to mobilize voters who do not want a repeat of the nightmare into which the Saakashists once plunged the people of Georgia.

As for outside support, there are no obvious signs that “Dream”, if necessary, can count on it. The position of the West is known. The initiation of the mentioned laws on the eve of the elections is assessed by him as a departure from democracy and Western values.

It is obvious that it is more convenient for the West to deal with precisely such a political force as the radical Georgian opposition, which, if it comes to power, will inevitably turn Georgia into anti-Russia.

However, if the West is convinced that the coup attempt is difficult to implement or is doomed to failure, it is unlikely to push Georgia into the arms of the Russian Federation (after all, this is exactly what politicians and experts explained the EU’s decision to assign the country candidate status). The West will probably try to compensate for the losses incurred by abandoning the intention to bring an absolutely tame political force to power in Georgia with the results of turning the small South Caucasus country into a center of permanent instability, capable of creating problems in the region for its northern neighbor at the right time.

Considering what has been said and the steps that, despite pressure from the West, were made by the Georgian government towards the Russian Federation, it seems that it is in the interests of the latter that the currently ruling “Georgian Dream” could remain in power. Moreover, there is physically no other acceptable alternative in the country. The coming to power of Georgian radicals will be a blow precisely to Russia’s geopolitical interests, since a pro-Western, and also pro-fascist political force will not disdain anything in order to achieve the final loss of influence on the region by the Russian Federation.

The Georgian Dream, which, despite pressure from the West, refrained in every possible way from creating unnecessary problems for its northern neighbor, in foreign policy relations will most likely remain committed to a pragmatic policy in the future. After all, even if small Georgia has a desire for a sharp change in its foreign policy course, a geopolitical turnaround without Russia itself being ready for it is unrealistic.

Georgia showed its teeth to the Americans. What’s next?

by Temur Pipia, International Secretary of the Unified Communist Party of Georgia

One of the most difficult stages of the political struggle has been passed in Georgia: a law on foreign agents has been adopted. The ruling Georgian Dream won an intermediate, but very important victory, which, however, is too early to celebrate.

Before this, “Dream” accelerated the consideration of the bill, and the parliamentary hearing, previously scheduled for the 17th, was scheduled for May 14. This was the latest of many tricks that the parliamentary majority repeatedly resorted to so that the opposition could not be well prepared for the storming of the parliamentary building. And so it happened.

There were clashes with the police, detentions, scuffles, attempts to cause traffic paralysis in Tbilisi, but the efforts of the authorities yielded results: the security forces easily coped with the task and at this stage maintained stability, since the opposition did not have time to organize itself thoroughly.

However, the fight over the law is not over yet.

Now the whole country is waiting for the president’s veto. After all, President Zurabishvili has already announced that she will veto the law, thereby giving another reason to destabilize the situation.

Yes, the opposition was unable to prevent the adoption of the law on “foreign agents” and to gain a critical mass of people, but its leaders will take into account their own mistakes and better prepare for the moment of overcoming the presidential veto.

Top-ranking European diplomats openly joined the fight. From afar, senior representatives of the EU, the US State Department, American senators and MEPs, the foreign ministers of Germany and France, and senior British officials are barking and threatening a “fundamental curtailment of relations.” The foreign ministers of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Iceland came to Tbilisi to mobilize the opposition and put moral pressure on the government directly on the spot.

They had already visited the protesters and encouraged them in the best traditions of “Maidan democracy.” Footage of touching communication on the street was distributed throughout all electronic media from the opposition. The ministers, who addressed the protesters from the rostrum, in their fiery speeches called on the latter to continue the fight with even greater energy.

Thus, on Rustaveli Avenue, in contrast to Kiev Khreshchatyk, not one, but four Victoria Nuland cars appeared at once.

The opposition has rallied even more, and TV channels continue to call on student youth not to stop protests. From the screens of these TVs, and even in classrooms, students are being brainwashed by the liberal professors who swarm Georgian universities.

On the other hand, the government, in the person of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, has already managed to show character by giving a worthy rebuff to the envoy of the US Secretary of State who hastily arrived in Tbilisi. Despite the demand that the latest version of the bill not be adopted, it was voted on, and the area around parliament was cleared in front of Assistant Secretary of State Jim O’Brien.

At the meeting with the country’s prime minister, he failed to achieve anything. The overseas envoy expressed his dissatisfaction at a press conference held in splendid isolation, where he tried to convince that the Americans did not intend to stage a coup and did not represent the “party of war.”

By the way, Bidzina Ivanishvili, the main inspirer of the Georgian rebellion for sovereignty, categorically refused to meet with the American. Thus, the State Department received a slap in the face from a man who, at an essentially anti-American rally of many thousands, declared that he was not Yanukovych and was not going to surrender his people and back down.

Thus, the mission of the American envoy ended in failure.

The opposition intends to declare mass disobedience. It is possible that by the time the veto is overridden, an assault on parliament is being prepared in order to disrupt the session and cause general destabilization. The leaders once again have a very successful and bloodless image of taking control of the Georgian parliament, and then the entire government, looming before their eyes. The events of 20 years ago are still relevant, when the newly elected parliament, not having time to take office, was paralyzed at the very first session. But a very important point should be taken into account, which may turn out to be key: unlike 2003, when the “Rose Revolution” took place, the current “revolutionaries” do not have broad support!

True, “Dream” does not have broad support either, which in this sense leads to a certain stalemate. Considering this circumstance, the opposition, supported by the four “Nullands,” literally calls for “taking the Bastille” in order to give birth to the “Robespierres and Marats” of the new era. The ministers arrived on time – just at the moment of the decline in protests and the moral decline of the “Maidanuts” caused by the adoption of the law.

But there is another very important point that distinguishes the current situation from the events of twenty years ago. And this moment again strengthens the position of “Dream”. Then Russia did not make a choice, or, to be more precise, it supported the bloodless option of transferring power into the hands of Saakashvili, thereby preventing a crisis from developing. At the moment, the Russian Federation is clearly in favor of strengthening Georgia’s sovereignty. Both the Russian Foreign Ministry and the State Duma clearly support neutralizing the threat of a “color coup” in the neighboring country.

It all comes down to how the security forces will behave at the critical moment that is yet to come.

As long as they behave confidently.

Let’s return to the situation of “Europeanization” of Georgia. Speakers and organizers of rallies openly call for blocking the building of the main legislative body. On the other hand, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and other members of the government, constantly warn hotheads that the practice of sparingly countering the illegal actions of rioters is over. Georgia’s chief police officer formulated very specifically that the provision of the criminal code that prevents attacks on government buildings will be used to the fullest extent, which implies serious criminal penalties and a tough rebuff to lawbreakers from the security forces.

The uncompromising speech of the Minister of Internal Affairs is supported by the no less categorical actions of his charges, who resolutely suppress the actions of the most active protesters attacking security forces in front of the entrances to the parliament building. Unbridled provocateurs are demonstratively beaten, and in police stations they are not greeted with tea and cake and, when released, are not offered an apology.

Photographs of provocateurs especially distinguished by their frenzy, including well-known liberal leaders, with black eyes and broken noses are widely circulated. In a word, the security forces are demonstrating their determination to act tough, trying to convey to careless young heads that this is not a game, but an existential confrontation for the future fate of the country . And we can say that such pedagogy bears fruit.

Moreover, the other day, demonstrative arrests of previously untouchable opposition bloggers were made in order to narrow the protest electronic space. In a word, the security forces began to act systematically and effectively, which had not been observed before.

In fact, the fight against the “Russian” law is a reason to destabilize the situation. The Americans really need controlled Georgia so as not to leave Pashinyan alone, that is, so that pro-American Armenia does not remain surrounded by countries loyal to Russia. Thus, a certain anti-Russian wedge (Armenia plus Georgia) should be created in the southern Caucasus with access to the Black Sea.

After meetings with European foreign ministers, the leaders of the opposition parties, one after another, declare a united front of confrontation, including in the parliamentary elections by the end of October. Consequently, European ministers not only encouraged the demonstrators, but also played an organizing role for the subjects of the coup.

At the same time, President Zurabishvili announced her readiness to unite the opposition and act as the leader of the aforementioned united front in the name of victory in the elections, which also looks like an organic part of a single plan. Thus, the consolidation of pro-Western forces by the time of the parliamentary elections is happening before our eyes. However, in the next few days the situation will escalate as stated above, the moment of overcoming the veto will be used.

The organizers of the riots have nothing to lose and will go to the end, including sacrifices for the sake of democracy, following the example of the Kiev Maidan. If the coup fails, then the ruling elite and security forces will be discredited for a strong moral and political attack before the October parliamentary elections.

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