Opposition member slams closure of Euronews Georgia, accuses Silk Road Group of ‘betrayal’

Euronews Georgia has ceased operations, with its owner, the Silk Road Group, citing financial difficulties as the reason for the closure.

Opposition politician Roman Gotsiridze criticised the decision, calling it a “betrayal” and rejecting claims that the company lacks the financial capacity to sustain the outlet.

Gotsiridze claimed the total value of Silk Road Group’s assets amounts to approximately USD 1 billion, making arguments about insufficient funding “unconvincing.”

“Another television station has been shut down - Euronews Georgia. The reason given is that the Silk Road Group has no money. This decision is a betrayal,” Gotsiridze said.

He stressed that Euronews Georgia was neither a critical opposition broadcaster nor a pro-government media outlet, arguing that its programming posed no political threat to the authorities.

“Euronews was not critical media, nor was it government-aligned. Its content did not endanger the authorities in any way. The Georgian Dream regime has reached a point where even the non-propagandistic coverage of domestic events is considered unacceptable,” he said. 

Gotsiridze accused the owners of Silk Road Group of lacking courage, claiming they failed to preserve even a small, relatively neutral broadcaster amid broader financial challenges in the media sector.

He listed the group’s extensive business portfolio, which includes Silk Bank, Silknet (Geocell), Radisson hotels in Tbilisi and Batumi, as well as other hotel brands in Tbilisi, Tsinandali, and other cities, energy facilities, restaurant chains, construction companies, casinos, numerous other business ventures.
Given this scale, Gotsiridze argued, financing a media outlet such as Euronews Georgia could not realistically threaten the group’s financial stability.