On October 16, 2017, during the debate show ‘Archevani’ on the television channel Rustavi 2, Kakha Kukava leader of the political party “Free Georgia” made a claim that the fronts of establishments situated on Kutaisi street in Batumi and on Aghmashenebeli avenue in Tbilisi are covered with inscriptions in Arabic writings with no Georgian equivalent anywhere to be seen.
Kakha Kukava, Free Georgia: “First I would like to put the matter of excessive immigration on the table, the most painful effects of which can be seen in the central parts of Tbilisi and Batumi. We had a problem during the previous election cycle and we discussed the fact that Tbilisi is covered in English-language advertissements without Georgian substitutes anywhere to be found. However, now we see an Arabic equivalent of that phenomenon, Arabian inscriptions can be seen all around and the law on advertising is violated with every step, on Aghmashenebeli Avenue in Tbilisi and on Kutaisi Street in Batumi.”
The above statement is misinformative and does not correspond to the truth. After closer verification in Batumi, we can demonstrably say that all institutions located on Kutaisi Street have Georgian transcriptions as shown in the following photos:
Batumi
Photo by Giorgi Bolkvadze
Photo by Giorgi Bolkvadze
Photo by Giorgi Bolkvadze
Photo by Giorgi Bolkvadze
Photo by Giorgi Bolkvadze
Photo by Giorgi Bolkvadze
Photo by Giorgi Bolkvadze
Photo by Giorgi Bolkvadze
Photo by Giorgi Bolkvadze
Photo by Giorgi Bolkvadze
Tbilisi
As for Aghmashenebeli Avenue in Tbilisi, Tabula has examined the issue of inscriptions after a statement was made by Kakha Kaladze.
Photo : Tabula
Photo : Tabula
Photo : Tabula
Follow the link to see the full article by Tabula
Prepared by Giorgi Bolkvadze
Regional Media Monitor for PITA and MDF
