Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has described the statement by EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński as “extremely grave in its content.”
According to the head of government, when the EU Ambassador directly threatens the Georgian people with civil war and a return to poverty, “it is very serious.” Consequently, a diplomatic step was taken — the ambassador was summoned.
Kobakhidze added that during the 2024 parliamentary elections, the head of the EU diplomatic mission in Georgia sought the country’s return to the “dark past” of the “National Movement” (United National Movement, UNM).
“The return of the collective ‘National Movement’ to power means a return to that dark past we have already lived through. The Georgian people do not want this return, and that is why, during the 2024 parliamentary elections, the Georgian people did not heed Herczyński’s call at all; instead, they considered their own interests rather than the EU Ambassador’s call to return the country with their own hands to the dark past of the collective ‘National Movement’.
There was nothing new in this — we have grown accustomed to this from the EU Ambassador; he essentially made the same statement. Nevertheless, it was deemed necessary to respond.
I believe no further steps will be required, as the diplomatic step has already been taken: the ambassador was summoned, and the Foreign Minister heard his explanations. This is the diplomatic step that needed to be taken on this matter,” Kobakhidze stated.
As a reminder, EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński spoke in Brussels about the prospects for Georgia’s European future, which was met with criticism by the Georgian authorities: Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze considered it appropriate to summon the diplomat to the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Herczyński stated that Georgia is “at a crossroads” and its future depends on the choices made by the authorities and society. The diplomat also noted that there is a risk of deviating from the European path and that the EU is concerned about Georgia’s democratic backsliding. He urged Georgian society not to lose its European perspective.
“Georgia stands at a crossroads. The country’s future is not yet determined, but the decisions made in the coming weeks and months will determine whether Georgia becomes part of the European family of nations based on democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, or, unfortunately, returns to its dark past,” the diplomat stated.
In connection with these statements, he was summoned on April 27 by the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Minister VS EU Ambassador: Georgia needs neither a “dark past” nor such threats