FM: No evidence seen to justify sanctioning of Imedi and PosTV

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili stated that the Georgian side had requested clarification from the British Ambassador regarding the grounds for the decision to sanction the television companies Imedi and PosTV.

According to Botchorishvili, she has not seen any evidence or documentation substantiating the decision.

“We do not assume that anyone in London regularly watches PosTV or Imedi. Therefore, the decision to impose sanctions was likely based on information provided from Tbilisi. We asked the Ambassador what assessments the decision was based on. I have not seen any evidence or documents justifying this step. No concrete information has been presented. I only heard general assessments, such as claims that Georgia is strengthening Russia or weakening Ukraine, or that Georgian society is undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity. These are accusations and evaluations that we do not share. Such claims require evidence, and we hope that something will be presented that would allow us to believe the decision had at least some basis. However, if I said that I truly expected this, I would not be honest,” Botchorishvili said.

She added that restricting Georgian television broadcasters amounts to a direct attack on Georgian society.

“I asked the Ambassador what objectives are served by providing inaccurate information to the capital, which then becomes the basis for such decisions. This is a direct attack on Georgian society, and naturally, we cannot agree with it. Nor can we agree with the claim that this decision in any way contributes to weakening Russia,” the Minister noted.

The British government imposed sanctions on Imedi and PosTV. In connection with this decision, the British Ambassador to Georgia, Gareth Ward, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia for an explanation. The Ambassador did not comment to the media either before entering or after leaving the Ministry.