MFA Georgia’s Statement on Recent Rustavi 2 TV Issue
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia responded to the announcement of Giorgi Gabunia, the host of Rustavi 2 TV program ‘Post Scriptum’, last night. The Ministry urged the international community to react about Gabunia’s swearing against Russian President Vladimir Putin during the live broadcast.
Rustavi 2 anchor Giorgi Gabunia insulted Vladimir Putin on Sunday night. The monologue, very offensive to Putin in its form and context, was read in Russian by him.
“We strictly condemn the expressions used by the TV Company "Rustavi 2". It has nothing to do with freedom of speech and is a clear provocation aimed at the further complication of the existing situation in Georgia-Russia relations.
Obviously, there is a deliberate action aimed at establishing a sense of destabilization in the country, while the government of Georgia tries to de-escalate tensions in accordance with the national interests of the country”, the statement reads.
Gabunia’s statement comes amid street rallies in Georgia, which were sparked by the visit of three Russian MPs to Georgia within the framework of a session of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy held at the Parliament building on June 20, which was followed by severe protests by the public and opposition MPs, especially due to the fact that Russian MP Sergei Gavrilov sat in the parliamentary Speaker’s chair, speaking in Russian.
By Ana Dumbadze