UN Secretary-General Calls on Parties in Georgia Conflict to Exercise Restraint

United Nations, March 9 – Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, told the News Agency that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls on the parties to the confrontation in Georgia to avoid steps that lead to an escalation of tension.

“The Secretary-General is monitoring the situation in Georgia. He calls on all concerned parties to avoid any action that could lead to an escalation of tensions. around the people’s right to peaceful protest,” Haq said.

Protests began in front of the Georgian Parliament building in Tbilisi on the morning of 7 March. Its participants opposed the adoption of the draft law on foreign agents, which was approved that day in the first reading. Earlier, the Georgian parliament received a bill on transparency of foreign influence, according to which it is proposed to create a registry in the country for NGOs, media and entities that receive funding from a foreign country. The initiators of the bill claim that this is a watered-down version of US law. The opposition, as well as the US ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan, had said earlier that the draft law has nothing to do with US law and is similar to the law in force in Russia.