Salome Zurabishvili: Attacks on Germany, the EU ambassador and others are completely unacceptable
Salome Zurabishvili and the Resistance Platform—a coalition formed with the participation of several pro-European political parties led by Zurabishvili—have strongly criticised the offensive rhetoric used by members of the Georgian Dream party towards Georgia’s Western partners.
“The Resistance Platform expresses deep concern over the rhetoric Georgian Dream is using towards our partners, especially Germany. Today, we heard a strong reaction from the new German administration regarding the fact that this government insulted their ambassador. Attacks on Germany, its ambassador, and the EU ambassador are entirely unacceptable. This only further isolates us from our partners, which, alarmingly, appears to be the government’s intention,” said Salome Zurabishvili.
Speaking on behalf of the platform, Zurabishvili also condemned recent amendments to the Law on Diplomatic Service, introduced by Georgian Dream. According to the new provisions, a diplomatic official may be recalled early if their actions are deemed to “harm the interests or image of the country.”
Zurabishvili, Georgia’s fifth president, also addressed the issue of politicians being fined and arrested for failing to attend the Tsulukiani Commission.
“This commission was established specifically to summon politicians who refused to appear before it, giving authorities the pretext to fine or detain them. What we are witnessing is the beginning of a new wave of repression,” Zurabishvili stated.
Kobakhidze: Herczyński Wants to be an Ambassador in Georgia, but the Deep State Does Not Allow It
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has claimed that the EU Ambassador to Georgia, Pavel Herchinsky, wishes to be an ambassador in the country but is being blocked by what he referred to as the “Deep State.”
“Pavel Herchinsky is not allowed to act freely as an ambassador. This is a specific assessment. He is in a challenging position, forced to make statements that seriously damage his image in the eyes of the Georgian public. It is all very tragic and sad. I am confident that Mr. Herczyński wants to be an ambassador in Georgia, but unfortunately, the Deep State is preventing him,” Kobakhidze stated.
The Prime Minister also noted that he was not invited to the EU Embassy’s planned event on May 9.
For his part, Ambassador Herczyński recently stated that, due to the actions of the Georgian government, the country’s EU integration process has come to a halt. He warned that unless the situation changes, Georgia risks losing its opportunity for EU membership for a long time.
Irakli Okruashvili Arrested for Failing to Appear Before Georgian Dream’s Temporary Investigative Commission
The Tbilisi City Court has ordered the arrest of former Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili, replacing the previous preventive measure of a 20,000 GEL bail with pre-trial detention. He was taken into custody in the courtroom.
On May 14, Judge Nino Tarashvili reviewed the prosecutor’s motion to replace the bail with imprisonment during a pre-trial hearing. Okruashvili is accused of failing to comply with a summons issued by a temporary investigative commission established by the ruling Georgian Dream party. The admissibility of evidence was also addressed during the court session.
Initially, Okruashvili had been granted bail of 20,000 GEL and was barred from leaving the country until the conclusion of the case. He was given 30 days to pay the bail, a deadline that expired on May 8.
He was summoned to appear before the investigative commission on March 26 to provide an explanation, but refused to do so. Following his refusal, he was summoned by the Tbilisi City Court to testify, where he responded to investigators’ questions in front of a magistrate judge.
In connection with the same case, several opposition leaders have also been charged and granted bail as a preventive measure. Nika Melia, Mamuka Khazaradze, Badri Japaridze, and Giorgi Vashadze were each granted bail of 50,000 GEL. Nika Gvaramia was granted 30,000 GEL, Zura Japaridze 20,000 GEL, and Givi Targamadze 10,000 GEL.