Georgian premier claims EU official threatened him with fate of Slovak leader shot last week

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Thursday that a European commissioner threatened him with the fate of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot last week.

In a statement published by the Georgian government press service on Facebook, Kobakhidze said his nation's authorities got used to threats from foreign states but this time the situation is "of particular concern."

"Even after years of blackmail, the threat, voiced during a phone conversation with one of the European commissioners was alarming. In particular, in a conversation with me, the European official listed a number of measures that Western politicians may take after the veto on the Bill On Transparency (of Foreign Influence) is lifted, and when listing these measures, he said -- you saw what happened to Fico, you have to be very careful," Kobakhidze said.

Fico was shot on May 15 after a government meeting in the central Slovak town of Handlova. A 71-year-old man named Juraj Cintula shot the official citing opposition to his political views as the reason. He remains hospitalized and has underwent multiple surgeries.

The prime minister stressed that mentioning the attack on Fico should remind the public that Georgia is dealing with "an extremely dangerous force that seeks to sow unrest in the country."

Last week, the Georgian parliament adopted by a majority vote in the third and final reading the bill On Transparency of Foreign Influence, a law opposed by EU and could effect the country's membership bid in the 27-member bloc.

President Salome Zurabishvili, however, vetoed the law, which can be overturned by the same government majority which approved the law.

There have been protests against the legislation, which mandates that non-governmental organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad must register as entities pursuing foreign interests or face penalties.

White House press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said that the US will have to radically reconsider relations with Georgia if the "foreign agents" law comes into force.

Separately, the head of the State Department's Office for the Coordination of Sanctions, Jim O'Brien, said that Washington may impose restrictions against Tbilisi if the draft adopted by parliament does not change.