Regarding the sanctioning of pro-government media outlets TV Imedi and POSTV, the British Ambassador to Georgia, Gareth Ward, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. Following the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maka Bochorishvili, made a comment.
"The British Ambassador was at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We requested that he present the basis for the decision made in London. I have not seen any such evidence or document that would justify this decision. He presented nothing specific. I only heard the assessments upon which this decision is based; however, I did not hear what these assessments themselves are based on—when they claim that we are supposedly strengthening Russia and weakening Ukraine, or that the Georgian public is somehow undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity. These are allegations we do not share.I did not hear specific examples from the Ambassador. During the 40-minute meeting, I did not hear a single argument that would justify the decision made by London. He did not present any factual material during this meeting," said Bochorishvili.
Following the conclusion of the meeting, Gareth Ward did not make a comment to the media.
On February 24, the United Kingdom included the pro-government propaganda outlets TV Imedi and POSTV in its list of sanctioned entities for "spreading Russian disinformation." As part of this, they were hit with three categories of sanctions: asset freezes, trust services sanctions, and director disqualification sanctions.
