US Ambassador on Media Environment in Georgia
On March 25, the US Ambassador to Georgia, Kelly Degnan, stated that the Georgian media climate is becoming more constrained. Kelly Degnan responded that it is up to the president to decide whether to pardon Mtavari TV director Nika Gvaramia, adding, "But we all know that media freedom is very important to a democracy, and here in Georgia where we've seen a narrowing of the media environment, it sends an important message that independent media is supported."
"For people to be exposed to various viewpoints and be able to make educated decisions, which is vital in any democracy but especially in Georgia, which is attempting to establish its institutions, independent, dynamic, and robust media is crucial," Degnan said. She added: "We saw this just a week ago or so when over 100 000 Georgians in Tbilisi and other cities peacefully expressed their choice for a European future."
The US Ambassador to Georgia pointed out that Georgia must fulfill the 12 requirements of the EU in order to maintain its candidate status. She emphasized the significance of including all relevant parties, such as the administration, parliament, and civil society. Degnan said that Georgia has been working on these reforms for a long time and that they are not brand-new.
The Ambassador continued, "But there is more to do," and emphasized that all Georgians, including all elected officials, need to come together, inclusively do this, stop spending so much time fighting each other, and spend more time to fulfilling recommendations in a meaningful way, not in a superficial way. The Ambassador acknowledged that good progress had been made in some areas and said there was more to do. "We witnessed that the people of Georgia are determined and steadfast in their choice to support Europe," she added.
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