Opposition Claims MFA Reorganization Targets Pro-EU Diplomats
Grigol Gegelia of the opposition coalition Strong Georgia said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) plans to abolish the Directorate General for European Integration and dismiss around 250 employees under the guise of reorganization. According to Gegelia, the employees targeted were among those who signed a joint statement at the end of last year supporting Georgia’s European Union integration and criticized the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party’s decision to halt the EU accession process.
“With this action, the criminal regime [GD government] has now formally and explicitly declared that European integration is no longer a priority for this Foreign Ministry,” Gegelia said. He called the move “yet another major failure of Georgian diplomacy” and described the restructuring as a political purge.
According to Gegelia, about 250 ministry employees, which amounts to around 30-40% of the staff, will be dismissed. He said the decision reflects the ruling party’s retreat from EU aspirations and accused the GD authorities of dismantling “what was once the most important ministry.”
Giorgi Kobakhidze, a former secretary at Georgia’s embassy in Lithuania, claimed in a Facebook post that he was dismissed for signing a petition supporting the country’s EU integration.
In addition, Georgian media outlets published an internal letter reportedly sent by GD Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili to ministry staff. According to the letter, the first phase of this reform involves a reorganization of the ministry, which includes changes to the structure of its central office and diplomatic missions abroad. It also outlines plans to open new diplomatic and consular posts and to establish four political directorates with 10 departments and 25 divisions. The new structure of the Foreign Minister will come into effect starting July 1 this year.
Civil.ge asked the Ministry to comment regarding the reported reorganization, which allegedly includes the abolition of the stand-alone Directorate General for European Integration, and the alleged layoffs. In response, the Ministry stated: “The information circulating about the abolition of the Directorate General for European Integration within the Ministry is not true. As a result of the reform, a Political Directorate for European Affairs will be established, which will merge the Departments of Europe and European Integration. For its part, within the European Integration Department, four divisions will be created to serve the country’s EU integration agenda. In pursuit of these objectives, the creation of the Directorate will further contribute to the effective coordination of relations with European countries.”
On November 29, following GD’s decision to abort the EU accession process, MFA’s employees issued a joint statement, stressing that the enlargement window that is now open may never be reopened, and if Georgia stops on this path, it risks facing isolation.
The letter also reiterated the employees’ commitment to Georgia’s national interests and Constitution. It highlighted that Georgian diplomats had long worked toward European and Euro-Atlantic integration in line with the will and historical choice of the Georgian people. The decision to suspend the accession process until 2028, they said, “does not correspond to the strategic interests of the country.”
In April, TI-Georgia reported that since December 2024, 700 public servants have been reportedly dismissed from various state agencies on political grounds, many of whom had publicly protested the GD government’s shift on EU integration. Reported dismissals within the Ministry of Defense have also raised concerns of a broader political purge.
Also Read:
- 13/01/2025 – Politically Driven Purge Guts Civil Service
- 02/12/2024 – Kobakhidze Alludes to Purges, Says Civil Service is “Self-Cleansing”
- 01/12/2024 – Georgian Civil Servants’ Statement
- 29/11/2024 – Education Ministry Staff Distance Themselves from GD EU-Turn
- 29/11/2024 – Defense Ministry Staff Distance Themselves from GD EU-Turn
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