In Georgia, thousands of people have been protesting a bill for weeks that could threaten media freedom and derail the country's hopes of joining the European Union. The country's prime minister has rejected US criticism of the legislation. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili told DW why she has vowed to veto the "Russian law."
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00:00And I'm very pleased to welcome the president of Georgia,
00:04Salome Zobishvili, who finds herself increasingly at odds
00:10with the governing party.
00:11Welcome to DW, Madam President.
00:13Thank you so much for your time today.
00:15With so many people in Georgia opposed to this bill,
00:18do you think it will become law
00:21or do you see something happening to stop it?
00:23I mean, you yourself have vowed to veto the law, I believe.
00:27Yes, I will veto this law as I vetoed all the laws
00:33that have been taken by the government in the recent period
00:37and that are going against the letter and the spirit
00:41of the recommendations that were offered
00:44by the European Union to open,
00:47to pave the way for the opening of negotiations.
00:50But it's now very clear that this law,
00:53which is a Russian law by essence,
00:57because it's the way Russia has managed
01:00to really repress the civil society
01:04that the government here is trying,
01:07trying to present the partners of Georgia
01:11as agents of revolution,
01:15as those that are trying to overthrow the government
01:19and keeping very silent on Russia
01:22as if it was now today our new friend.
01:25So that is becoming increasingly clear
01:28that it's not only the Russian law that is the problem.
01:31The problem is a Russian government
01:35or a government that is prone to making concessions
01:38to Russia and to turn the orientation
01:41of this country towards Russia.
01:43And that is what the vast majority
01:46of this country is protesting.
01:49It's not only the law is a symbol,
01:52but the reality is that the country is saying,
01:55we want Europe, we want our European future,
01:59which is close at hand.
02:00We're going to defend it as well as our independence.
02:04We're not going to give in.
02:05They're also saying to our partners
02:09that here is at stake not only the future of Georgia,
02:13but in a way the future of Europe and of its strengths.
02:17Madam President, can I ask you,
02:18the government tried to pass similar legislation last year.
02:22Help us understand why the ruling Georgian Trim party
02:26wants this law so much.
02:31I don't know.
02:32What is clear is that they have lied to us,
02:34to the Georgian population,
02:35and they have lied to our partners.
02:37They have said that they were withdrawing the law
02:39and that they would not represent it.
02:42Now they are lying on all of that.
02:45They have disappointed and deceived their own population.
02:49Why they're doing it, it doesn't make any sense.
02:52In political terms, it's no longer
02:55what could have been said earlier
02:57that they are trying to save their power.
02:59Today, it doesn't make any sense, but to please Moscow.
03:04And the one center, we cannot accept
03:07that Georgia became a candidate to the European Union
03:12that sees very close at hand the negotiations of adhesion,
03:17that sees that the Caucasus is no longer
03:21this garden that was preserved for Russia.
03:25That's what displeases Moscow
03:27and displeases those that are now clearly,
03:30since the speech of Mr. Ivanishvili,
03:33appearing as serving Moscow.
03:36You've said yourself that the vast majority of Georgians
03:38want their country to move closer to the West
03:41and to join the EU.
03:43How will people react?
03:45How angry will people be
03:47if this bill comes ever closer to passing?
03:49What's gonna happen?
03:52Well, they're very angry,
03:54but they're at the same time very reasonable.
03:57You see this youth that is protesting completely peacefully
04:01and will continue to do so
04:03because they're very aware of the risks
04:06that exist in a country that has its territories
04:1020% occupied by Russia.
04:12But at the same time,
04:13they will not give in either independence
04:17or their European future.
04:19This country has been fighting for 26 century
04:22for its independence.
04:24And that's how this country has survived until now.
04:27This country has always shared the values
04:30that are now called European
04:32and will defend that.
04:34And this country has always fought for its freedom.
04:38And I want to use this opportunity
04:41to thank the declarations that have been,
04:43the statements that have been made on the German side,
04:47and especially the president of the Foreign Affairs Committee
04:51of the Bundestag and many others.
04:54And we know that Germany, as all our European partners,
04:58are on the side of Georgia and of European Georgia.
05:02So you couldn't envisage, for example,
05:04a possible compromise,
05:06something that might satisfy the protesters on the streets
05:09as well as the ruling party?
05:13I don't think it exists
05:15because the compromise was the withdrawal of the law.
05:17It happened once.
05:19And again, they have reintroduced it.
05:21And in the meanwhile,
05:23they have adopted another half a dozen laws,
05:26including one that makes Georgia
05:28an offshore for Russian oligarchs that are sanctioned.
05:34So all of that is extremely preoccupying.
05:36And I think that our European partners
05:39should take the right measure of what is happening here
05:43and see that today and until the election
05:46on this very tricky road,
05:48very sensitive road towards elections,
05:50where the Georgian people will be able to say
05:53what they have to say in favor of Europe.
05:55We need attention and support of our European partners.
05:5910 years ago, Madam President,
06:01the Ukrainian government wanted closer ties with Moscow,
06:03but people there took to the streets in protest.
06:06That was known as the Maidan Revolution.
06:08Is this a similar moment for your country?
06:13Oh, I don't know if it's similar.
06:14We have gone already through everything
06:16that Ukraine has gone through.
06:18We have gone through Maidans.
06:20We've gone through wars.
06:23So we are, yes, there is a parallelism
06:26between all of what has happening in Ukraine
06:28over the past decades and recently and Georgia,
06:32but with all our individual paths
06:34and our paths this time leads towards these elections
06:38in October, which will be a type of referendum.
06:41Do we want Europe or do we want Russia?
06:44And I'm confident of what is the answer of Georgia.
06:50Salome Zobishvili, the President of Georgia,
06:53many thanks for your time.
06:55And thank you for speaking to DW.
06:58Thank you.