13th OSCE South Caucasus Media Conference held in Tbilisi
By Mariam Chanishvili
Friday, July 8
Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili met with the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Representative on Freedom of Media, Dunya Miyatovich visiting Georgia to participate in the OSCE conference.
The issues discussed during the meeting were the freedom of the media and expression, Russian propaganda, activities of the Public Broadcaster, and cooperation between Parliament and the OSCE’s Office regarding the freedom of the media.
According to Miyatovich, in terms of freedom of the media, the situation in Georgia is satisfactory, and for the upcoming Parliamentary elections it is necessary to provide a free media environment. She also mentioned that Russian propaganda is an ongoing problem in Georgia, as in many other countries.
The two sides consider it necessary to have more transparency in the media and political equality. Miyatovich noted that it is inadmissible for the media to distribute hateful language and encourage violence.
Usupashvili expressed his gratitude for the OSCE's cooperation with the Parliament of Georgia, and thanked Miyatovich for the OSCE's efforts.
The 13th OSCE South Caucasus Media Conference, sub-titled as 'Multi-faceted challenges to free media and freedom of expression' was held in Tbilisi between July 6-7.
Participants at the two-day conference discussed fundamental media freedom issues, such as safety and online and offline security, content regulation, and the challenges for new and traditional media.
The event brought together more than 70 journalists, government representatives, and representatives from NGO’s and academia from Azerbaijan, Georgia, along with international experts.
