International

The EU urges Georgia to withdraw the law on foreign agents that harms its rapprochement with the EU

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Security Affairs, Josep Borrell, with the support of the European Commission, urged Georgia on Wednesday to withdraw its controversial law on foreign agents, considering that it harms its progress towards the EU.

After the approval of this law on Tuesday in the Georgian Parliament, the EU issued a statement by Borrell that could not be on behalf of the Twenty-seven due to the veto of Hungary and Slovakia, European sources told EFE.

Brussels issued a first statement signed by Borrell and the Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, the Hungarian Olivér Várhelyi, and later published a second with the only rubric of the head of European diplomacy, supported by the whole of the college of commissioners.

European sources assured that the publication of the first text was due to an error.

“The approval of this law has a negative impact on Georgia’s progress on the EU path. The decision on the way forward is in the hands of Georgia,” the statement emphasized.

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In that context, the Georgian authorities were urged “to withdraw the law, maintain their commitment to the EU path and move forward in the necessary detailed reforms.”

The statement also assured that the EU is willing to continue supporting Georgians who work for a European future.

“The EU is on the side of the Georgian people and their election in favor of democracy and the European future of Georgia,” the text stressed.

The statement states that “intimidation, threats and physical aggressions of civil society representatives, political leaders and journalists, as well as their families, are unacceptable” and calls on the Georgian authorities to investigate these “documented acts.”

He recalls that the European Council granted Georgia the status of candidate for accession, understanding that the country would adopt the nine relevant measures that the European Commission established last November.

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These steps require that human rights be protected and that civil society and the media can operate freely, they added.

The measures also refer to the need for depolarization and the fight against disinformation.

However, and “despite the great protests and the unequivocal appeals of the international community,” the ruling majority of the Georgian Government has approved the law in Parliament, in third reading, the statement said.

“The EU has clearly and repeatedly declared that the spirit and content of the law do not conform to the fundamental rules and values of the EU.”

In his opinion, that legislation will undermine the work of civil society and the independent media, while freedom of association and freedom of expression are fundamental rights at the core of Georgia’s commitments as part of the association agreement with the EU and any way of joining the community club.

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The Georgian Parliament approved the law on foreign agents on Tuesday despite the protests of the opposition and the West, which compare it to the Russian regulations that the Kremlin uses to silence the opposition, in a new twist of tensions in this Caucasian country.

The controversial legislation, promoted by the Georgian Dream government party and whose official name is “On the transparency of foreign influence,” was approved with 84 votes in favor and 30 votes against.

The president of Georgia, Salomé Zurabishvili, announced on Wednesday that she has created and will soon present a “European platform” to prevent the country from returning to the past.

“I have formed a European platform of common solutions that will mobilize Georgia for the parliamentary elections,” the president said at a press conference, alluding to the elections on October 26.

Zurabishvili made this announcement in a joint appearance with the heads of the diplomacies of Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, who arrived in Tbilisi today on a working visit as representatives of the European Union, who harshly criticized the “Russian law” approved the day before by Parliament.

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“This platform will allow us to win the elections and finally put Georgia on the path of peace and stability,” said the president, who stressed her initiative to “save the country from returning to the past.”

Zurabishvili stressed that “between 80 and 85 percent of Georgian society supports the European future (of the country), as can be seen in the protests against the law ‘On the transparency of foreign influence’.”

“It’s about saving Georgia. The approval of this law is an attempt to return Georgia to the past. The authorities don’t listen to their people, they don’t listen to the advice of their Western partners,” he stressed.

The president confirmed that she will veto the regulation, which the opposition calls “Russian law” because of its similarity to that applied in Russia to persecute and silence the opposition.

NATO said on Wednesday that the approval in the Parliament of Georgia of the controversial law on foreign agents keeps the country away from integration into the European Union and the transatlantic area, and urged it to change course.

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“The decision of the Georgian Government to approve legislation on the so-called ‘foreign agents’ is a step in the wrong direction and moves Georgia away from European and Euro-Atlantic integration,” said the spokeswoman of the Atlantic Alliance, Farah Dakhlallah through social network X.

In that context, the Allied spokeswoman urged Georgia to “change course and respect the right to peaceful protest.”

Georgia has aspirations to join the European Union and NATO.

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In 2008, the leaders of the Alliance agreed at their summit in Bucharest that Georgia, like Ukraine, will be members of NATO when they are prepared for it.

International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”

International

Mexico security chief meets DEA director in Washington to boost anti-drug cooperation

Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, met in Washington with the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terrance Cole, to discuss cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal arms flows.

The Mexican official said Monday on social media that he attended the meeting in representation of the Mexican government’s Security Cabinet.

“In Washington, D.C., I represented the Security Cabinet to hold talks with DEA Director Terrance Cole on the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation to combat drug trafficking, curb the flow of weapons into our country, and reduce violence in Mexico through significant arrests,” García Harfuch wrote.

He added that, following instructions from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the government will continue strengthening international cooperation on security matters.

For his part, Cole said the meeting focused on cross-border collaboration to tackle drug trafficking and to build safer communities on both sides of the border.

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The meeting comes as Mexico and the United States begin a new round of dialogue on economic and security issues.

Earlier Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will look for the “best moment” to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that maintaining a good relationship with Washington is a priority for her administration.

International

Venezuela’s foreign minister accuses UN rights chief of “immoral bias”

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil criticized the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, accusing him of having an “immoral bias” and acting as an “echo chamber for falsehoods” regarding the situation in Venezuela.

Gil’s remarks came after Türk stated that his office had not received an official list from Venezuelan authorities detailing the release of political prisoners, nor authorization to carry out visits related to the issue.

“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights insists on a narrative biased against our country, repeating unfounded accusations while deliberately omitting the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the rights of the Venezuelan people,” Gil said in a message posted on his Telegram channel.

Without directly addressing the question of prisoner releases, the Venezuelan foreign minister also accused Türk of aligning with what he described as the “agenda of extremism in Venezuela.”

Gil added that, despite serious human rights violations occurring in other parts of the world, the UN official has chosen to maintain what he described as an “immoral bias” against Venezuela.

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The criticism is part of a broader dispute between the Venezuelan government and the UN human rights office over reports and investigations concerning the human rights situation in the country.