Georgian PM accuses MEPs,Western media of bias

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has accused certain European Parliament members of acting as “foreign agents” against Georgia and criticized statements from OSCE/ODIHR and Western media, claiming a bias against the Georgian government.

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Kobakhidze singled out Margarita Yuknevičienė, the European Parliament’s official rapporteur on Georgia, alleging she had “provided direct operational support” to recent opposition attempts to “destabilize” the government. He said the names of other European lawmakers “involved in anti-Georgian activities” were known and that their statements were part of a broader strategy to influence Georgian public opinion.

“This is the absurdity we are talking about: on one side, there is an attempt to overthrow the government; on the other, certain European bureaucrats focus on specific procedural issues. How can these be weighed equally?” Kobakhidze said, referencing OSCE/ODIHR statements. He added that the “violence” during opposition protests, which “hospitalized 15 police officers,” including two who narrowly survived, makes such comparisons “nonsense.”

Kobakhidze also criticized Western media coverage, responding to a New York Times article regarding Giorgi Bachiashvili. He claimed that Western outlets were “totally controlled” and under censorship, allowing the publication of false information, but insisted that the Georgian public was able to discern the truth.

“These processes show the serious condition of Western media. It is so tightly controlled that any lie can be published easily. But the Georgian public understands the truth and analyzes events accordingly,” he said.