Ruling party official says primary goal driving Georgian Dream party “has always been and continues to be” strengthening country’s sovereignty

Irakli Kirtskhalia, the Deputy Chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Thursday said the primary goal driving the Georgian Dream party “has always been and continues to be” the strengthening of the sovereignty of Georgia as an independent nation.

In his remarks, Kirtskhalia emphasised that every legislative initiative put forth in the legislative body was serving this sovereign objective.

“When it comes to media regulations, our primary aim is simple and straightforward for anyone willing to understand: standardisation and alignment with high international media standards. I am confident that the vast majority of our audience and the people of Georgia recognise the extent of hate speech and defamatory campaigns spread by various media platforms - whether television, print, or online media. Currently, no regulations adequately address these issues, nor are there standards that media outlets must adhere to”, the ruling party official said.

Speaking on the party's initiative and its reference to the British model, commonly known as the BBC standard, Kirtskhalia explained that the best possible balance for media regulation on a global scale was sought.

“We chose the British model as the benchmark, considering it the golden standard worldwide”, he noted.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said the ruling party would table a new media law modelled after the British legislation, aimed at regulating media objectivity and journalistic ethics.

In his remarks, Mdinaradze noted that the bill would introduce clear guidelines on journalistic ethics and objectivity and institutional mechanisms would be established to monitor and enforce compliance.