2016-05-03
Tbilisi, 03 May 2016 - Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili today made the following statement to mark World Press Freedom Day:
"The values of freedom of expression and access to information underpin the democratic development of any modern society. In Georgia, in particular, we count on the media to offer balanced, insightful and, especially, truthful information to our citizens, ahead of the parliamentary elections in October. It is the duty of journalists to inform our citizens, just as it is the duty of the Government to ensure journalists can practise their profession freely, openly, and without constraints.
We take that duty very seriously. Just last month, Reporters Without Borders published its World Press Freedom index which ranked Georgia 64th out of 180 countries, five places up from 2015.However, we shall not be satisfied with these achievements. We have to continue efforts in the areas of human rights protection, rule of law and closer European integration".