Strong Georgia coalition leader apologizes to Armenians for ruling  party s "xenophobic outbursts"

ArmInfo "The Russian, KGB-style propaganda of Ivanishvili and his subordinates has gone  beyond all limits," Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of the Strong Georgia  coalition, said in response to the anti-Armenian campaign against him  on social media. Khazaradze apologized to the Armenian people.

"The recent slanderous campaign has affected not only me but also our  brotherly people, the Armenians. I apologize to them for the  tasteless and immoral xenophobic outbursts of the Georgian Dream. If  one of my ancestors were Armenian or from another brotherly nation, I  would openly and proudly acknowledge it to those who are concerned  about such news or embarrassed by their origins - are xenophobic!

Long live the lives of Georgians, Armenians, Israelis, Azerbaijanis,  Kurds, Yezidis, and other brotherly and related nations in a strong  Georgia! Long live a strong Georgia with its diversity, strength, and  mutual respect. Bidzina and the KGB should come to an end on October  26! May your ancestors, as well as mine - Khundadze, Khazaradze,  Bashaleishvili, and Adeishvili - live on," wrote Mamuka Khazaradze on  Facebook.

Before the parliamentary elections, government-affiliated media POSTV  launched an anti-Armenian campaign against Khazaradze. On September  30, the propaganda channel aired a video titled Khazaradze's Armenian  Shalakho, adapting the lyrics of a popular song. Later, on October  11, a POSTV journalist interviewed Khazaradze, pressing him with the  question: 'Why do you hide your Armenian origin? We know you are of  Armenian descent and are ashamed to admit it. Armenians are our  brotherly nation, wonderful people - why are you ashamed to admit  it?' the journalist asked.

The campaign against Mamuka Khazaradze, reminiscent of the 1990s, was  perceived as an attempt to stoke ethnic conflict and was condemned as  xenophobia. The Multicultural Georgia movement filed a complaint  against POSTV with the Charter of Journalistic Ethics, arguing that  the video (interview) broadcast by the channel was discriminatory, as  it relied on a stereotyped attitude in society that political parties  often exploit for electoral manipulation and political gain.

Public Defender Levan Ioseliani also addressed the issue, stating  that while the media's main role is to ask questions, it should not  be discriminatory. "It does not matter to which ethnic group a  Georgian citizen belongs. As per the constitution and the law, we are  all equal," said Ioseliani.