The Daily Beat: 5 June

Russian news agency TASS cited Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) as alleging that the United Kingdom intends to remove Georgia’s ruling Georgian Dream party from power. “According to London’s calculations, this should ‘shake up’ the systemic political opposition, give it ‘a second wind,’ and mobilize it to launch a new round of struggle to remove the ruling ‘Georgian Dream’ from power,” the SVR’s report says.

Earlier the same day, Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili lashed out at some Western embassies and diplomats, accusing them of interfering in the country’s domestic politics and lecturing them about the Vienna Convention. Papuashvili mentioned, among others, the British Ambassador, who, he said, “stands out for violating the Vienna Convention, violating international law with attacks on the Georgian people and Georgia’s government.”

U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Robin Dunnigan announced her retirement, saying it was a “personal decision.” “After 33 years representing the United States as a diplomat, I have made the personal decision to retire,” Dunnigan said in a June 5 statement. Robin Dunnigan has served as the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia since 2023. She plans to depart from the country in July.

Paata Patiashvili, the first deputy defense minister in the Georgian Dream government, participated in the 28th meeting of the Ramstein Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels on June 4. The meeting brought together defense ministers and senior officials from NATO member and partner countries. This time, GD Defense Minister Irakli Chikovani did not attend.

Activist Lekso Samkharadze claims in a Facebook post that Georgian Dream MP Davit Matikashvili has filed a complaint against him following a June 2 protest, during which Samkharadze sang an anti-government chant at the GD lawmaker. This case adds to a growing pattern, as three women have already faced administrative charges in two separate incidents involving alleged insults toward Georgian Dream MPs.

On June 5, the Council of Europe’s Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) released its annual report for 2024. The report includes statistics regarding Georgia’s implementation of GRECO recommendations from the fourth evaluation round, which aims to prevent corruption among members of parliament, judges, and prosecutors. For more detailed information about Georgia in GRECO’s report, read our story.