Kobakhidze Threatens EU Ambassador with “Consequences”
A day after Georgian Dream (GD) aborted the country’s EU bid, Irakli Kobakhidze defended his party’s reasoning, disputed by many, accusing EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński of spreading “disinformation” and warning of “consequences” if he doesn’t “change his behavior.”
Amb. Paweł Herczyński today said GD’s decision to halt EU accession efforts was “very regrettable,” “very deplorable,” and “heartbreaking.” Faced with wide public outcry and reacting to the growing signs of dissent within the civil service, the ruling party is gaslighting the public into believing that yesterday’s statement implied a simple delay caused by the EU rather than a rupture initiated by Tbilisi, which refused to fulfill the EU conditions and passed the legislation contradictory to the EU principles and values.
- 18/11/2024 – EC Assesses Implementation of Nine Steps as Bloc’s FMs to Discuss Georgia
- 30/08/2024 – HR/VP Borrell: EU Extremely, Increasingly Concerned About Georgia’s Trajectory
- 09/07/2024 – EU Accession Process Halted, Aid to MoD Frozen, Relations at a Low Point, Ambassador Herczyński Regrets
Doubling down on this line, Kobakhidze claimed that the opening of accession talks with the EU had been used as an instrument “to blackmail the country and tear society apart” and that the GD had “temporarily” rejected it “to neutralize” it. However, he claimed that the ruling party remains committed to the country’s European integration. Similarly, he argued, the EU funding was used for “blackmail,” which was the reason for its rejection.
He said the GD’s decision was followed by a “disinformation campaign” by the opposition and its affiliated NGOs and media. “They told a lie to Georgian society that the Georgian government had stopped the European integration process,” Kobakhidze said, adding that EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński “also got involved in this disinformation campaign.”
He accused the EU ambassador of being involved in the pre-election campaign in favor of the opposition and against the ruling party. “Mr. Paweł Herczyński, who was asserting during the pre-election campaign that Georgia’s EU integration process had been halted, is now claiming that the Georgian government has halted this process,” Kobakhidze said.
“For some time, we have avoided making a diplomatic reaction to such actions, but everything has its limits, and if in the future we do not see a change in the behavior of the EU ambassador or other ambassadors on such facts, we will certainly make a reaction,” Kobakhidze said, clarifying that he meant “a diplomatic reaction.” Speaking to the media yesterday, mid-level GD officials also alluded to the potential expulsion of the outspoken German Ambassador.
Also Read:
- 29/11/2024 – Diplomats’ Joint Statement: Stopping EU Accession Negotiations Contradicts Country’s Strategic Interests
- 28/11/2024 – President Calls for Resistance Against “Constitutional Coup”
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
