Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed foreign agent law in Georgia on NGO support for (a) internally displaced persons, (b) enhancing the rule of law and (c) strengthening democracy.

We welcome the news that the Georgian Government has announced that its draft "foreign agents" law will be withdrawn. The draft law, had it been adopted, would likely have harmed Georgia's democratic development through hindering the ability of Georgia's friends and international partners to support civil society and media freedom. It would have made delivery of UK programming extremely challenging. The UK remains committed to supporting a vibrant civil society in Georgia, an essential attribute of a healthy democracy, and remains a committed supporter of Georgia's continued integration into Euro-Atlantic structures in line with the wishes of the Georgian people.