Journalists and founders of Rustavi 2 respond to Khalvashi’s decision to sell TV channel
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Wednesday, August 14
Journalists and founders of Rustavi 2, leaders of the Government and other officials issued statements and made comments regarding the decision of the owner of Rustavi 2 Kibar Khalvashi to sell the company.
As Khalvashi said, the decision was made after he became familiar with the financial situation of Rustavi 2, while representatives of the opposition say that Khalvashi made this decision in accordance with the Georgian Government’s interests.
According to the founders of the channel, Davit Dvali and Jarji Akimidze, Khalvashi is trying to make their legal battle harder and is doing everything to complicate it.
“Instead of restoring promised justice, he [Khalvashi] aimed to hand Rustavi 2 someone closer to Ivanishvili. This is a very familiar scenario, today’s authorities are not original in this tactic,” says the statement of Dvali and Akimidze.
They say that it is tragic for the country that no government could understand the simple truth that the existence of independent and critical media is vital to the existence of the country and society.
As the founders of the channel say, the fight for Rustavi 2 will continue and end only when the channel returns to its founders in order to "fulfill the function of independent, critical and impartial media outlet once and for all".
The journalists of Rustavi 2 say that “Khalvashi can sell the channel, but he will never be able to trade with the team of Rustavi 2.” According to the journalists, they have been producing the nation's highest-rated shows for many years, and for exactly 25 days, they have been as critical under the new ownership, as they were before the July 18.
As they say, the decision of the new owner was not unexpected, but the team will never leave the channel, under any ownership.
According to Nodar Meladze, the head of the channel’s news services, “the Government won’t allow Khalvashi to sell the channel to someone who is not connected to them, after this, it is easy to understand who will become the owner of the channel.”
As he said, these actions create a feeling that there is a specific plan that is being followed. He also noted that “Rustavi 2 might not be sold at all.”
“I think that they will say that they tried to sell Rustavi 2, but nobody bought it. Then this will be reflected on the TV network,” said Meladze.
Journalist, Mikheil Sesiashvili, does not understand the form by which Khalvashi tries to sell the channel, “when you sell something, you try to put as high price on it as possible and make it as attractive as you can, which we didn't see in Khalvashi’s statements. Rather, he presents the channel in a negative context and wants the buyer to be warned.”
Ia Kitsmarishvili, the wife of one of the founders of Rustavi 2, Erosi Kitsmarishvili, said that “it is no secret that founders of Rustavi 2 were forced to give up the company shares.” As a legal successor of Erosi Kitsmarishvili, she says that she has every “legal and moral right to claim the share that belonged to Erosi.”
According to Kitsmarishvili, her claim is identical with Khalvashi’s demand, who applied to the court with the same request, and the court satisfied it. “I am convinced that the unbiased court will make a decision in favor of me,” she said. Also, Kitsmarishvili calls on Khalvashi and a potential buyer not to take any specific decisions until the trials are completed.
Answering journalists’ questions who stands behind Khalvashi’s decisions, the Chairperson of the Parliament of Georgia, Archil Talakvadze said that “Khalvashi is backed by his family, relatives, friends, and lawyers who advocate for him,” excluding any involvement from the public officials.
Prime Minister of Georgia, Mamuka Bakhtadze also talked about the decision of Khalvashi and said that the “part of the opposition are only making up conspiracy theories.” According to the Head of the Government, the major achievement of today's government is media pluralism.
Two days ago, the 100% shareholder of Rustavi 2, Kibar Khalvashi, who fought for the company for four years, announced that he would be selling Rustavi 2, through a transparent process, where everyone other than Saakashvili and Gvaramia can participate.
Khalvashi is trying to sell the company, which he claimed to have a 70 million GEL in debt, to someone who is willing to pay the most in only one week.
