A row over the First Caucasus Channel (FCC) gathers pace. The Paris court didn't uphold the claim of the Public Georgian television (PGT) against the French company Eutelsat with regards to the broadcasting renewal on the territory of Russia, including (the North Caucasus) via the European satellite.
PGT, which initiated establishment of the First Caucasus channel, has made the decision to transfer a right to run the channel to an unknown private company Key-1, established by the BBC ex-journalist Robert Parsons and the information department of the FCC, the journalist of the RTVI - Ekaterina Kotrikadze. The developments over the First Caucasus channel were commented on by the ex-owner of the TV channel "Rustavi - 2", Georgian ex-ambassador to Russia - Erosi Kitsmarishvili.
- Was it by accident that right after the verdict of the Paris court the First Caucasus channel transferred its management to some private company said to be British, but in fact registered in Georgia?
- Both decisions demonstrate the irresponsibility of the people who created the channel, including the Georgian authorities. The Paris court has ruled conclusively in this case, and there is no reason to speak about "the involvement of the court" or some "political background". The court rested upon legislation, and errors in the temporary contract with the Eutelsat let the French company easily determine the contract. As to the transfer of the FCC management to an unknown company - Key-1 - this is without doubt a violation of legal norms. Take a look at facts, the managing company was established on July 7th and a week after it received huge loan from the government ($3.8 million). Bob Parsons is a professional, but this doesn't mean that anybody has the right to transfer TV channels and budget funds to private individuals without any competition. The decision was made quickly and it only demonstrates its political background and lack of transparency in the media sphere in Georgia.
- You have mentioned the "political background" of these developments. What did you mean?
- As for me, I always was against the establishment of such a channel. It would be an absolutely different case if the channel was aimed at establishing links between the two nations. But in fact the FCC was initially a propaganda channel. Everything point to this – the people who created the channel, who work there, I mean Oleg Pamfilov, Djohar Dudaev's widow - Alla and some others. These people inherently can't be impersonal. The channel was established to make propaganda in the North Caucasus, thus the contract with the French company was very important for the FCC to broadcast in the region. But at the moment they've lost this opportunity, they have faced resinous problems. This is the reason for these strange decisions. I don't even mention the other scandals around the channel, such as rumors of Boris Berezovsky’s participation in the project of Key-1.
- How would you comment on the role of Boris Berezovsky in this entire story?
- I don't really know what the advantage for Berezovsky in this is. I don't think he finances the project, but there is a lot of evidence of his participation in some stages of this "creative work". This once again demonstrates the fact that FCC doesn't have friendly intentions with regards to its neighbor. The North Caucasus is the territory of Russia and any channel broadcasting in the region should take into consideration Russia's view of the fundamental issues. It’s no wonder that Georgia's intervention into regional issues angers Moscow. That is why I speak about the political motivation with regards to the establishment of this channel.
Interviewed by Georgi Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for VK.
