Prime Minister applauds journalists and bloggers in Georgia and abroad

Georgia’s Prime Minister reveals his faith in the country’s media environment and is honouring journalists and bloggers in Georgia and abroad as the world celebrate World Press Freedom Day.

"I am proud of the progress Georgia has made towards protecting a free press and its role in supporting an innovative, successful, and stable democracy,” the Prime Minister said in recognition of World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated today.

"I applaud the journalists and bloggers around the world who work in challenging environments. Hopefully someday soon all journalists will be able to write and speak freely without fear of persecution wherever they are.”

"Georgia is proud of its commitment to creating a sustainable democracy through a free and diverse media environment,” read the statement issued by the Prime Minister’s press office.

In the statement, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili praised the Government’s progress towards ensuring this goal and reiterated that his administration was making freedom of the press a top priority.

"Georgia will continue to implement further measures to address the recommendations made by the international community as it continues to honour free press as an integral part of its growing democracy,” said PM’s statement said.

Press freedom is a constitutionally protected right in Georgia. Parliament has recently adopted numerous reforms to make the media more financially transparent and independent from political influence.

Freedom House noted in 2013 Georgia had the "freest and most diverse media landscape in its region,” and the country had made great strides towards progressive media legislation in line with European standards.

In its 2014 report released on May 1, the watchdog moved Georgia further up its global ranking and particularly noted there had been a "lack of incidents of intimidation or violence against journalists, which was notable for an election year.”

Similarly, a February 2014 Reporters Without Borders and a March 2014 European Union report also detailed Georgia’s progress and noted the media’s increased diversification.