MP Ionatamishvili: French interior minister’s reference to Georgia confirms outside forces meddled in Georgian affairs

“France’s Interior Minister needed arguments for why French democracy must be protected from foreign interference and manipulation,” said MP Rati Ionatamishvili, chair of Parliament’s Human Rights Committee.

He said the minister cited Georgia as an example in his speech, which amounted to an admission that outside forces had interfered crudely and unjustly in Georgia’s internal affairs.

“They tried to shape public opinion in the country precisely through disinformation and manipulation. They did not want the public to be informed, as informed citizens are naturally shielded from disinformation. It is telling that they are making these arguments. It seems the Georgian Parliament’s work has now become a source of inspiration for parliaments across the EU. We remember how Macron interfered in Georgia’s internal affairs and made baseless statements. Today, with the streets of Paris in the grip of vandalism and violence, he doesn’t like any of it. This distinct attitude, coupled with perceived double standards, has pushed President Macron’s popularity to an unprecedented low in France, effectively decimating his remaining electoral base. Not only were these people insincere; they encouraged violence and vandalism in other countries,” Ionatamishvili said.

Speaking in the French Senate, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said: “Those who want to destabilise our democracies do not need to interfere in elections or change their results; it is enough to convince the public that the elections were manipulated.” The minister cited Georgia as an example: “In recent months, several European countries have been targeted by large-scale information manipulation during elections, among them Georgia, Moldova, Germany and the United Kingdom.”