Shio III, Abortion, and the “Threat of the Disappearance of Georgians”; Lavrov’s Statement on Armenia and Pressure from Moscow

The May 17 sermon by Catholicos-Patriarch Shio III sparked a strong reaction among a segment of Georgian society. The head of the church supported the law “On the Protection of Family Values,” which has been criticized in the EU as an analogue to the Russian law against so-called “LGBT propaganda,” and spoke about “gender ideologies,” abortion, and the demographic crisis. What this rhetoric means for Georgia and whether there are parallels with the Russian agenda is discussed with analyst Ghia Nodia. Against this backdrop, Moscow is intensifying pressure on Armenia: Sergey Lavrov stated that Yerevan could lose its privileges in the EAEU (Eurasian Economic Union) if it continues its course toward rapprochement with the European Union — the guest on [Ardashelia-Live] is political scientist Tornike Sharashenidze.