TRANSCRIPT:
The Voice of America was not simply a radio station. Its voice was not just another radio signal. It was a window to the free world, a voice of truth that reached our hearts when everything around us was silenced in fear.
Ending the Voice of America’s Georgian Service was not just a budgetary decision, but it was a step back from engagement at a moment when America’s voice is needed more than ever. Because this information still spreads daily. It poisons minds, distorting facts, undermining trust and eroding belief in democracy itself.
That’s why we think that the Voice of America still matters, not as a Cold War relic, but as a modern tool of credibility and dialogue. Restoring it would not be an act of nostalgia, but of strategic wisdom. Because rebuilding trust where it is fragile, and defending truth where lies have power, is something we all need these days.
From this beautiful land of Georgia, which is subject to heavy Russian propaganda and is going through troubling times to preserve its democracy, I can tell you America’s voice still carries meaning. It still inspires hope and it still reminds people why truth matters.
So let that voice be heard again — strong, clear and free. Not for history’s sake, but for the sake of the future we share. Because it will strengthen America’s soft power. It will support Georgia’s democratic resilience. And it will tell the world once again that truth still matters and that America continues to stand with those who seek truth.
Published
Gegeshidze is a Georgian diplomat and scholar who served as Georgia’s ambassador to the United States from 2013–2016. He previously worked in academia and in Georgian government foreign policy roles, and later led the Levan Mikeladze Foundation.