Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has credited billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili and what he described as the democratic transformation brought about by him for the establishment of media pluralism in Georgia.
Kobakhidze made the remarks while speaking to Georgian journalists in Brussels, responding to a question about a report published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The prime minister dismissed the report, describing it as “shameful in every respect.”
“You know what was happening in our country before 2012. The entire television landscape was monopolized, and in a predatory manner. You know how Rustavi 2 was taken away from its lawful owner, how Imedi was taken away from its lawful owner, and how the Public Broadcaster was brought under their control. Every television station operating nationwide was in the hands of one group and monopolized by the regime of that time,” Kobakhidze said.
He argued that Georgia’s media landscape was freed from the monopoly system in 2012 and attributed the country's current media pluralism to Ivanishvili.
“In 2012, the Georgian media was freed from the monopoly system. The fact that media pluralism is now established in our country is thanks to Bidzina Ivanishvili and the democratic transformation he brought about,” the prime minister stated.
Kobakhidze added that the public would draw its own conclusions when representatives of an international organization made what he considered such claims.
