The diplomat told reporters on Tuesday that “the intentions of the current Georgian Government are unclear to the EU leaders, which is why accession has been suspended at this time.”

Herczynski criticized the Georgian law that makes foreign influence on the country transparent, calling it “a step backwards.” In his opinion, anti-Western and anti-European rhetoric is incompatible with the declared objective of accession to the EU.

Georgia aims to join the bloc in 2030, as declared by Prime Minister Irakli Kobajidze at an event in Germany on June 21.

The EU leadership threatened Georgia with denying it membership after the local parliament approved a law on the registration of foreign agents, which seeks to protect the country from foreign interference in its domestic politics and is similar to a 1938 US legislation known as FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act).

The ‘Georgian FARA’ obliges organizations that promote the interests of a foreign power and that receive at least 20 percent of financing from abroad to register as foreign agents.

According to the Georgian Government, the regulations comply with basic legal principles and their sole purpose is the annual publication of the finances of non-governmental organizations, media outlets and other institutions.

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