Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what discussions he has had with his Georgian counterpart on the recent riots in that country relating to the On Transparency of Foreign Influence bill.

The UK is committed to supporting a vibrant civil society in Georgia, which is an essential attribute of a healthy democracy. I [Minister for Europe] discussed this and a range of other issues with the Georgian Ambassador on 17 April, and on 2 May I publicly raised my concerns regarding the apparent excessive use of force by police during demonstrations in Tbilisi. Our Ambassador to Georgia has consistently made our concerns about the proposed law on Transparency of Foreign Influence known to the Georgian Government, most recently to the Prime Minister on 22 April.