PM Kobakhidze: Attack on independent media aimed to boost discredited opposition’s momentum

Speaking at a briefing at the Georgian Dream headquarters after the party’s Political Council meeting, Irakli Kobakhidze, the Prime Minister of Georgia and Chair of GD Political Council, explained that the true motive behind the attack on the independent Georgian media was, of course, to give the discredited and struggling opposition a marginal opportunity to regain some momentum.

According to Kobakhidze, Great Britain has imposed sanctions on two leading Georgian broadcasters, an unprecedented act that represents a blatant attack on free media. He described this situation as both tragic and, on the other hand, somewhat comical, given the official pretext cited for justifying the sanctions.

“For the foreign ill-wishers of our country, this necessity remains as pressing as ever. They can see that on one side stands Georgian Dream, in the service of the Georgian people, to whom the Georgian people have twice expressed their firm confidence over the past two years, and on the other side stands a radical opposition in the service of external forces: a foreign agency that places no value whatsoever on the legitimacy conferred by the Georgian people and is concerned with nothing beyond executing the instructions of its foreign masters.

The word ‘stateless’ describes these people most precisely, as their reaction to the British sanctions once again demonstrated most vividly. It is already plain for all to see, and they no longer conceal it themselves, that for these stateless individuals, not only the homeland, which is a far loftier and more emotional concept, but even the state and statehood itself mean nothing. In reality, they have but one motivation: to kneel and await instructions from their foreign masters, the unconditional execution of which is their sole obligation.

It is only natural that they look exclusively to their foreign masters for salvation, particularly when it is evident that they are not merely in great difficulty, but on the very threshold of extinction. For these individuals, the sole source of legitimacy is not the support of the Georgian people but that of their foreign masters. Our country’s centuries-long history has taught us beyond all doubt that every Georgian by passport who entered this country in the service of foreign powers and acted upon their instructions brought nothing but chaos, ruin, and bondage,” the PM has said.

According to him, no sanctions can compel the national broadcaster to withhold the truth or fail to inform the Georgian public.

“No one can suppress the truth in Georgia, for just as water will always find its course, so truth will always find its way. Against this backdrop, the jubilant cries with which these stateless individuals, devoid of any sense of statehood or state consciousness, greeted a foreign assault on media freedom were at once peculiarly farcical and deeply tragic. That reaction is the finest illustration of the value system of those with whom we are dealing,” Irakli Kobakhidze has stated.