Georgian FM says “same actors, new initiators” behind BBC’s latest “attack on Georgia”

The BBC’s recent film represents yet another attack on Georgia and its Government, said on Wednesday Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili.

In her interview with Imedi TV, Botchorishvili noted that the actors behind such campaigns remain the same, while the initiators change from time to time.

“There have been campaigns that started with statements by Georgian politicians and were later amplified by media outlets, NGOs, and international media. There were campaigns where foreign politicians played a bigger role. We have also seen foreign diplomats involved. Now we see an example where a foreign broadcaster appears on the scene as the primary source triggering the campaign”, she said.

“This is a typical orchestrated campaign - the same type of disinformation campaign we have often witnessed against Georgia. Remember the ‘Free Misha’ [the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili] campaign, stories about poisoning and the alleged dying of prisoner No. 1, even when he wasn’t in prison at the time, and other similar false narratives. Or how the so-called ‘Russian law’ [the transparency law] was described as Russian, while in reality it was not”, the FM continued .

Botchorishvili added that the aim in all such cases was to damage Georgia’s interests, its national interests, and its Government.

“What was the purpose of the narrative that Georgia was helping to bypass [Russian] sanctions? Or the claim that we falsified elections and took an undemocratic path? This is the same type of campaign - creating a harsh image in order to reinforce a narrative used to punish Georgia’s Government simply because it makes decisions based on national interests rather than following a line that would harm the country”, she concluded.