Georgian Parliament official rebukes Eurocrats over strained relations

Zviad Shalamberidze, the first deputy chair of the parliamentary committee on regional policy and self-government, on Tuesday said that Eurocrats should reconsider their rhetoric toward Georgia, arguing that recent statements by the EU ambassador Paweł Herczyński have negatively affected the public perception.

Shalamberidze’s comments came after Herczyński stated that “Georgia and its warm and hospitable people” must not be allowed to slip back into a period marked by “violence, civil conflict, poverty, hardship, and corruption”.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Shalambelidze emphasised that the responsibility for deescalating the current rhetorical climate lies with European officials.

“If anyone today needs to change their rhetoric in the relations between the European Union and Georgia, it is those Eurocrats who allow themselves to make such statements. In this case, I welcome the decision of the ministry of foreign affairs to summon the ambassador and present our position”, he said.

“If anyone thinks they can make such statements toward the Georgian society and claim it was not a threat but a call, the Georgian society, even without the government, correctly assesses the real situation and forms the appropriate perception of the EU ambassador, as we have seen”, Shalambelidze continued.

He further emphasised that diplomats should not exceed the limits defined by the Vienna Convention, adding that public opinion has already formed a clear view of the situation.

“He [Herczyński] found defenders in the opposition, who tried to protect him and soften the rhetoric, but diplomats should not cross the boundaries established by the Vienna Convention. We are confident that we are doing the right thing, fulfilling the will of the majority of society, and we will continue this policy. If society believes that Georgian Dream is not pursuing the right policy, we will see that in the 2028 elections”, he concluded.