It surprised us when it turned out that some active or retired politicians and diplomats are unscrupulous about their contacts with the Russian-style disinformation-spreading lobbyists, writes the Chairman of the Georgian Parliament on his Facebook page.

“After Mikheil Saakshvili’ arrest, following the court’s legal verdicts, there is no end in sight for the disinformation campaign against Georgia.

The Strasbourg Court’s decision gave us a pause and made us think how illegal and falsity-based have been the attacks by some influential political and media groups.

The U.S. Justice Department’s account confirmed that such activities, basically, are not caused by natural interest but are pre-meditated and coordinated.

We have clearly seen that the sole purpose of this Russian-style disinformation campaign was to discredit the Georgian state and to achieve, through blackmail, Saakashvili’s release from his legal detention.

Disinformation and other hybrid warfare tactics is one of the challenges against modern democracy and legal statehood. Therefore, our expectation is that everyone who wants to be friends with Georgia, distance themselves from such Russian-style anti-Georgian propaganda.

In these circumstances, naturally, it surprised us when it turned out that some active or retired politicians and diplomats are unscrupulous about their contacts with the Russian-style disinformation-spreading lobbyists.

Therefore, the burden of explanation now falls on all those organizations and individuals who, as it turns out from the U.S. Justice Department’s register, have co-operated with, either by giving them media-platforms, by including clauses into resolutions, or by telephone communication, instead of distancing themselves from the private company that conducted a disinformation campaign.

Commitment to values obliges us that the most correct way to address the legitimate concerns is to give exhaustive answers and, for future, provide for more openness. Truthfulness strengthens friendship”, - writes Shalva Papuashvili.