The ‘Georgian Dream’, which is establishing its dictatorship in Georgia, knows the critical position of the diaspora towards it, and the electoral and financial weight it represents. It has tried to “neutralize” the Georgian Association, but without success.
The Association Géorgienne en France was created in 1921 by Georgian political émigrés who, rejecting the Sovietization of their country, intended to oppose and fight for its independence and sovereignty from France. This is what these political émigrés did, and the Association Géorgienne en France (Georgian Association in France) was at their side for more than a century, fighting for their country’s independence and sovereignty. They all shared one political objective: the fight against the Russian occupiers!
Defending and then promoting Georgia’s regained independence, its sovereignty, territorial integrity and democracy, were and remain the guiding principles of the Association Géorgienne en France.
Operation against the diaspora
On the eve of the General Assembly of the Georgian Association in France, Nata Darchiashvili, an outspoken supporter of ‘Khalkhis Dzala’ (an extreme by-product of the Georgian Dream), sent a letter of denunciation to IMEDI TV (a media outlet affiliated to the Georgian Dream).
Immediately afterwards, the media operation was launched on IMEDI in the midday and evening news, with the participation of the ‘Georgian Dream’: the mayor of Tbilisi, Kakhi Kaladze, the deputy speaker of parliament Gia Volski and others.
The charge was not only against the association, but also, in unacceptable terms, against its president Othar Zourabichvili, associating his sister with it for good measure, even though she had never played any role in the association.
But of course, the operation is political! It’s all about silencing people, and to do that, you have to smear them with untruths, false information and defamation.
Muzzle the Georgian association, muzzle the diaspora!
It’s this symbolic association that the Russian Ivanishvili regime is seeking to muzzle, and with it the entire Georgian diaspora. A diaspora which, according to the authorities, should refrain from any criticism or judgment of the dictatorship reigning in Georgia.
Having banned at least half a million potential voters from the diaspora from taking part in the October 2024 parliamentary elections, the Georgian authorities now expect the diaspora to rid itself of all critical thought, and to devote itself fully and exclusively to cultural activity. Everyone will remember the ‘sing and dance for Georgia’ era of the Russian-Soviet regime. The same totalitarian regimes, the same methods!
Targeting the Georgian Association in France with a media propaganda operation expresses the concern of those in power. The authorities are using every possible means to prevent the association’s support for those they repress. The critical attitude of the vast majority of the diaspora, its determination to choose democracy and Europe, represents a danger for Ivanishvili that he has perfectly identified.
The failure of the operation and its consequences
The method used is well known, and those who employed it have already lost all credibility. The method didn’t work, and the “infiltrated” members, Nata Darchiashvili and Nuka Tandlashvili, obtained only their own votes in the elections, not one more, and absolutely no support.
These infiltrators no longer belong to the Board of Directors. Nata Darchiashvili is now free to work with Khalkhis Dzala. As for the Georgian Association, it has a new Board of Directors and emerges strengthened.
The powers that be and those who work for them will once again try to circumvent us! That’s for sure! But we’re ready, bolstered by the importance of our role and that of the entire Georgian diaspora worldwide.
In the days of the Soviet Union, we supported the first dissidents. Today, we will be the voice of those whom Ivanishvili locks up and represses.
