Head of Pres-Center of the Shida Kartli Regional Administration Quitted Job

Lado Bichashvili, Shida Kartli

Natia Omadze, head of press-center and public relation department of the Shida Kartli regional administration, made statement about leaving the job in social network. Omadze connected her decision with regional governor Zurab Rusishvili’s insularity and distance from the society.

Natia Omadze: “During my six-year working experience in the press-center of the Shida Kartli regional administration I maximally tried to promote dialogue between the government, media and society but lately it was getting more and more impossible.  For that reason, I cannot see myself on the position in the administration. Despite my attempt I could not change regional governor’s insularity and distance from the society and decided to quit the job.”

Part of local media representatives say the problem of the regional governor’s insularity was really urgent but another part claims they have never encountered this problem.

Head of the news room at the TV-Company Trialeti Gocha Davitashvili said the regional governor avoided relation with media. “We invited him to talk-shows several times but he did not come; he never made comments with journalists either. He did not make comments even when leaders of the central government arrived in the region. I had to ask the press-center of the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure to help us with the regional governor to make short comment about the visit.”

Editor of the Shida Kartli Information Center Saba Tsitsikashvili told humanrights.ge that he communicated with the regional governor only during public meetings and had never had any particular problems of communication. “With regard to the activities of the current regional governor, I can only say that we were allowed to participate in all meetings we asked for. We have not yet requested public information from the administration; we did not try to interview him, so we have not petitioned to the press-center yet. Consequently, at this moment we cannot name any concrete fact of restriction of media rights by regional governor.”

Zurab Rusishvili occupied the position of the regional governor two months ago. He has appointed only one deputy and has to select two more; now he has to find person for the position of the head of press-center.