Georgian PM says UK targeting Georgian broadcasters aimed at disrupting debate process in Georgia

Georgian prime minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Saturday said the United Kingdom’s sanctions against Imedi TV and POSTV must be viewed as an attempt to sabotage the ongoing process of public and political debates on Georgian television.

In a social media message, Kobakhidze noted that about a month ago the ruling Georgian Dream party announced the opening of public debates in the media space, arguing that healthy discussion was necessary to reduce polarisation and overcome hatred within Georgian society.

“About a month ago, our political team issued a statement announcing the opening of public and political debates in the television space. We explained that healthy debate was unconditionally necessary to reduce polarisation and overcome hatred within Georgian society”, he said.

“When publishing that statement, we recalled an incident from several years ago, when foreign agents deliberately shut down the space for public and political debate in order to deepen divisions and intensify hatred within society. For this purpose, they used Nika Gvaramia as their main instrument, who, through foul language and insults directed at individuals live on air, made healthy discussion impossible”, he continued.

The prime minister noted that although only a short time has passed since debates resumed, the initiative has already shown results.

“Although it has not even been a full month since debates resumed on Georgian television, it can already be confidently said that our initiative to open up discussion was necessary and has already achieved significant success. From our perspective, this success is reflected in several ways: first, the society now has the opportunity to hear healthy, substantive polemics on issues important to it, whereas previously it received incomplete information in a monologue format, without the confrontation of differing views; secondly, a space has emerged where the exchange of differing opinions is aimed not at dividing people with different views, but at uniting them around common goals; thirdly, although we may be subjective, we believe we can confidently say that the debates held so far have clearly demonstrated the ruling team’s obvious advantage over its opponents in terms of both competence and integrity”, he noted.

Kobakhidze claimed that this development caused concern among what he described as a “local foreign agent network” and its external supporters.

“Naturally, this outcome alarmed the local foreign agent network and their foreign patrons. Their alarm is also confirmed by the fact that the vast majority of radicals are hysterically avoiding debates. Against this backdrop, it is no surprise that they would once again attempt to artificially halt a process that is ultimately meant to bring greater societal consolidation and better information”, he said.

He further alleged that many opposition representatives have been avoiding participation in debates and that British sanctions were intended to artificially halt this process.

“The British sanctions against two leading Georgian broadcasters must also be considered in this context. The fact that the British sanctions were aimed at disrupting debates is clearly evidenced by the unified message box of local foreign agents and their numerous statements in which they cited the sanctions as grounds for avoiding participation in debates”, Kobakhidze noted.

The head of the government further added that, unlike in previous years, the role of undermining debate and media freedom was assumed “directly by the British bureaucracy”, which he criticised in strong terms.

“It turns out that, unlike in 2007 and 2020, in this case the role of undermining media freedom and disrupting debates was assumed not by Nika Gvaramia, but directly by the British bureaucracy - which, in its essence and content, has descended to the level of Nika Gvaramia, that is, to the level of an ordinary foreign agent devoid of morals and values”, he said.

Despite this, Kobakhidze emphasised that Georgia’s state institutions and society were stronger than in 2007 and 2020, and that media pluralism would not be undermined.

“However, today’s situation differs from 2007 and 2020 in that both Georgian society and the Georgian state are much stronger, and no one will be allowed to infringe upon media freedom and media pluralism in Georgia. Accordingly, society will continue to have full opportunity to hear differing opinions on various issues and to make informed decisions about the future of its country”, he concluded.