Kobakhidze Slams EU Ambassador as “Complicit in Violence”
Irakli Kobakhidze, the Georgian Dream (GD) Prime Minister, said the EU ambassador to Georgia, Paweł Herczyński, is “complicit in violence” and “continues to incite violence” by not condemning what Kobakhidze described as “violent rallies” in Georgia. He also accused the EU Ambassador of attempting to bring the ‘collective UNM” to power.
The GD strongman’s attack on the EU ambassador comes a day after Paweł Herczyński told journalists that the EU is working on sanctioning “those responsible for human rights violations, intimidation and violence” against peaceful protesters in Georgia. “The European Union cannot accept violence, impunity, and intimidation that has been going on for nearly three months now,” Herczyński said yesterday.
In response, Irakli Kobakhidze said in comments to journalists today, February 25, that the EU Ambassador had been involved in an election campaign in Georgia “in favor of the collective United National Movement” and “against the Georgian Dream,”. He also noted that Ambassador Herczyński “lost in the elections” in Georgia, and lamented that “he never condemned violent rallies” in Georgia.
“Therefore, unfortunately, this individual too is complicit in violence and continues to incite violence, but this attempt of his is no longer successful,” Kobakhidze told reporters.
He further elaborated that a few days before the October 26 elections, the EU Ambassador “called for maximum voter mobilization and to vote against GD”. Kobakhidze added: “He [Herczyński] said that under these circumstances and with the current [GD] government, EU integration has been suspended, and in order for the process to move in the other direction, maximum mobilization of voters was needed. This was a direct appeal to the voters to vote against the GD and in favor of the radical opposition… “.
Kobakhidze went on: “Later on, Mr Herczyński said that it was not the EU that suspended EU integration, but GD. So he was caught up in his own lies. These lies served only one purpose – he was engaged in pre-election agitation in favor of UNM. Naturally, any statement by the EU Ambassador that serves the return of the collective UNM to power is unacceptable to Georgian society.”
“I can express my personal respect for Mr. Herczyński, but he is acting directly under the orders of the deep state. Therefore, he is not in an easy situation,” Kobakhidze added.
Kobakhidze’s attack on EU Ambassador has not gone unnoticed in Brussels. Anita Hipper, the EU spokesperson for foreign and security policy, expressed EU’s full support for the EU Ambassador in a comment to IPN’s Brussels correspondent. She also said that the EU does not see any positive news coming from Georgia, and the unfounded accusations against the bloc’s ambassador are proof of this.
Also Read:
- 28/01/2025 – Amb. Herczyński to GD Authorities: Start Talking to People
- 09/12/2024 – EU Ambassador Condemns Violence Against Demonstrators, Journalists
- 29/11/2024 – Amb. Herczyński: A Completely New, “Heartbreaking” Reality
- 18/10/2024 – EU Amb. Talks Decisive Elections, GD’s Anti-EU Propaganda, EU-Georgian Relations
- 04/10/2024 – EU Amb. Herczyński Ties Georgia’s Future to Elections, Slams GD’s Propaganda
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)