On 26 November, the following quote by Georgia’s President, Mikheil Kavelashvili, was circulated on social media (1;2): “‘There was in Arabia Rostevan, a king by the grace of God’– the great Akaki wrote this for us. If we once had such a great Arab king, why shouldn’t we be able to build Arab cities in Georgia?”
Along with Kavelashvili’s quote, the social media card displays a logo reading Khashuri News.
Mikheil Kavelashvili’s quote about Arab cities is not real. It was initially published by the satirical page “Khashuri Municipality.”
The quote attributed to Mikheil Kavelashvili, in which he speaks about building “Arab cities,” was posted on the satirical Facebook page “ხაშურის მუნიციპალიტეტი • Khashuri Municipality.”
According to the post’s original source, Kavelashvili made this statement on 25 November during a “traditional Tuesday briefing.” Unlike other Facebook accounts that shared it, “Khashuri Municipality” includes a note at the end of the post stating that the quote is satirical and sarcastic.
No such quote by Mikheil Kavelashvili has been shared on his official page or in the media (1;2;3). Therefore, the quote was invented by a satirical page, and Kavelashvili did not actually make the statement.
It is likely that the satirical post about Kavelashvili refers to a project planned in Georgia by the Arab company Eagle Hills in agreement with the government. The project envisions constructing hotels, residences, restaurants, and other facilities in Tbilisi and Gonio. The state has become a shareholder in the $6.6 billion project and owns a 33% stake in the company. The contract is not public and is classified as a commercial secret. Following criticism of the project, Irakli Kobakhidze stated that both plots of land are designated as non-agricultural and will not have any autonomous status after the construction is completed – “Simply put, no Georgian land is being sold to foreigners.” He also said they expect the percentage of Georgian buyers in the project to be close to 80%.
Myth Detector has previously verified other claims originally published by the same satirical page that later circulated on social media as real information:
- The source of the claim about building a Jaba Ioseliani Museum in Khashuri is a satirical page
- The source of the claim about restoring Brezhnev’s bust in Khashuri is a satirical Facebook page
- The post claiming that Giorgi Saakadze Street in Khashuri would be renamed after Shevardnadze is satirical
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