GD Ideologue Suggests Slimming Foreign Embassies, Curbing Diplomats

Zaza Shatirishvili, Georgian Dream ideologue widely known to be Bidzina Ivanishvili’s close confidante, suggests that the ruling government cull the accredited diplomatic corps in Georgia because, he claims, the country “cannot live” with the “constant turmoil” they create.

“The Georgian government must move beyond mere rhetoric and take effective action to curb the revolutionary and anti-Georgian activities of the accredited ‘diplomatic corps,’ because it is impossible for this country to constantly live with quakes and tremors [they encourage],” writes the GD propagandist in his lengthy letter, permeated with anti-Western narratives and conspiracy theories. The letter, published on May 15, accuses the U.S. and other Western embassies in Georgia of having attempted revolutions and of stirring up unrest and destabilization in the country.

Shatirishvili, a frequent guest on pro-government TV channels and considered a mouthpiece for the founder of the ruling party, suggests the Georgian Dream shall make two steps. .

First, he says the GD government should establish a staff size quota for embassies. “This quota must be within a reasonable range,” he writes. He argues that this move will “automatically result in diplomatic missions removing individuals who are not actually employees of their respective foreign ministries, but rather of intelligence services.”

As a second step, Sharitishvili suggests that the GD government restrict some of the embassies’ activities. “The government should require embassies to act according to strictly prescribed diplomatic framework and prohibit them from engaging in any other behind-the-scenes activities, financing funds and NGOs, conducting unknown trainings and activities, which is directly anti-Georgian work,” he writes.

“It’s understandable that the government is successfully dealing with any kind of foreign influence today,” says Shatirishvili, “But for the country to finally calm down, all aspects of public and political life must return to their work and rid themselves of the malign influences that keep Georgia in a constant state of turmoil.”

Shatirishvili believes his proposed moves “will finally and forever return the ambassadors and embassies within the framework of their rights.”

New Letter, Old Conspiracy Theories

The aforementioned suggestions conclude a lengthy letter by Shatirishvili, whom the GD government-controlled media outlets describe as a “philosopher.” The letter, published on May 15, primarily targets the U.S. Embassy in Georgia and former Ambassador Kelly Degnan, while also mentioning the diplomatic mission of the EU, as well as the embassies of the Baltic and Scandinavian states and Poland, accusing them of various “anti-Georgian” activities, including attempts to foment revolutions, incite unrest and destabilize the host country.

The letter opens with “there’s an American joke: ‘The only country that will never have a coup is the United States of America. The reason is simple: there is no American embassy there.'” It proceeds to take a swipe at the U.S. Embassy, accusing it of “supporting” and “organizing” the 2003 Rose Revolution in Georgia, leading to the United National Movement coming to power, which the letter describes as a “nine-year dictatorship, people’s killings, business racketeering, stirring up the war in our own country, and losing territories” – rehashing the usual GD talking points.

Claiming the U.S. Embassy and its “affiliated” organizations, including Kmara [Enough] and the Liberty Institute, were behind the coordination of the Rose Revolution, Shatirishvili says, “Twenty-two years have passed since that ominous day, yet neither the United States of America nor its embassy in Georgia has altered its nature and goals,” adding, “Unfortunately, the country once called a strategic partner is constantly trying to sweep our country into the wind and fire of revolution, unrest and destabilization, and restore to power that political group which followed their instructions meticulously, without a word.”

The GD ideologue says accredited ambassadors in Georgia are “anything but diplomats.” He adds, “Most of them, especially those designated as ‘diplomats’ from countries controlled by the ‘deep state’ that is, informal oligarchic influences, rudely interfere in the country’s internal affairs, fully coordinate with radical political parties, and, even more, under the directives of their patrons, exercise full control over the so-called opposition.”

As an example, Shatirishvili cites Giorgi Gakharia, now an opposition leader, but once the ruling GD’s fierce prime minister. Shatirishvili references Gakharia’s recent testimony before the GD parliament’s temporary investigative commission, and claims that, when Gakharia recounted the events leading up to the arrest of Nika Melia, then leader of the UNM, he revealed communication with Ambassador Degnan, “and the next day after that meeting, the former prime minister committed an unprecedented act of treason against his team and, with the aim to bring down the government, resigned.”

Continuing to accuse the former U.S. ambassador of “constantly trying to pressure” the Georgian government, Shatirishvili then targets the local election monitor ISFED, accusing it of “manipulating” the parallel vote tabulation during the 2020 parliamentary elections. He claims that what was actually a minor error by ISFED sparked a “political crisis.” “And while the Ambassador knew all of this, she still hid this scandalous fact,” he says.

The letter shifts to the start of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, and, in line with GD’s propaganda narrative about Western efforts to drag Georgia into the war, Shatirishvili claims that Degnan played “one of the key roles” in pushing to open a “second front” in Georgia. Shatirishvili  criticizes Degnan for seeking a meeting with Bidzina Ivanishvili at the time, claiming the Ambassador “demanded his return to politics and the taking of anti-Georgian steps.” 

The letter then turns to recurring to this day allegations by GD and its State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) regarding training courses held by Peter Ackerman, whom it describes as a “specialist” in organizing revolutions and coups in various countries. Shatirishvili claims Ackerman was brought to Georgia by the U.S. Embassy and held controversial training sessions with NGOs. In 2023, the SSSG claimed that CANVAS, a Serbian CSO that organized the training, was inciting violent unrest in Georgia. CANVAS denied the claims.

The letter then targets other Western embassies in Georgia, including those of the EU, the Baltic states, Poland, and the Scandinavian countries – all of which, it claims, have been involved in “no less dangerous work” than Ambassador Degnan. “Georgia’s legitimate government may often point out in a diplomatic and gentle manner that diplomats known for anti-Georgian activities should stay within the framework of their rights, but it is obvious that these calls have no effect,” the letter warns.

Then, the author presents “the biggest problem” with the way embassies are structured. Claiming that around 350 people work at the U.S. Embassy, Shatirishvili implies that this number is too much. ” In his estimate “…even one-fifth of that number is unnecessary for honest diplomatic work.”

The GD propagandist claims on the U.S. Embassy, “Besides those doing purely diplomatic work, the Embassy employs coordinators in various areas who oversee and control media, NGOs, and various funds, organize trainings, often spread their preferred propaganda and agitation through covert means, and roughly interfere in education, medicine, agriculture and other key sectors.”

It adds, “Often, they carry out these actions through the funds and non-governmental organizations that they had founded and [then] bankrupted. Ultimately, when they deem it necessary, they pit the people they have brought up and nurtured against the government while distancing themselves and framing the situation as a ‘civil society protest.’”

Shatirishvili insists that other embassies – pointing to the EU, Baltic states, Scandinavian countries, and “specific European embassies” – work “with similar methods,” but “on a smaller scale.” These “diplomatic missions,” the GD propagandist adds, are controlled by the “deep state,” which he defines as “informal oligarchic governance.” He also says, “If there is still doubt in America about whether the ‘deep state’ still governs or if Trump managed to seize power, there is no such doubt in Europe,” adding, “The EU ambassador is indeed a servant of the ‘deep state’ and acts exactly as the informal rulers and oligarchs instruct him.”

GD Picks Up the Roadmap?

The ruling party representatives were quick to pick up on the messages voiced by Shatirishvili. Although attacks on Western ambassadors are nothing new, the GD leadership’s latest statements go further in their aggressive tone and lecturing on the roles and boundaries of diplomats and diplomatic missions. EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński and German Ambassador Peter Fischer were the first to come under GD’s fire in this context.

While declining to give a “concrete response” to Shatirishvili’s letter, GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told journalists there is a “bad practice” in Georgia of ambassadors and embassies being “directly involved in political processes,” which, he said, is not their business. 

“There is a Vienna Convention, which prohibits diplomatic missions and their representatives from engaging in local political processes,” Kobakhidze lectured, repeating the frequently voiced accusation against EU Ambassador Herczyński, whose actions he said were “opposite” to these rules, claiming the diplomat was engaged in the 2024 pre-election campaign. 

“Just several days before the elections, he directly called on Georgian voters to support the radical opposition,” Kobakhidze added. “It was a blatant call. He openly said the policy of Georgian Dream was bad and urged voters to go to the polls to change that policy. The EU ambassador made a clear political, even electoral, call, which is a serious violation of the Vienna Convention,” Kobakhidze insisted.

Although Kobakhidze remarked that Herczyński’s action failed to impact Georgian Dream’s victory, albeit controversial, he called it “very tragic” for the EU’s image itself in the eyes of Georgians. “Discrediting EU institutions to this degree should not happen before Georgian society,” he said. He added, “Since 2012, the Georgian people have watched European and American bureaucrats attempt to reinstate a bloody political force – the collective UNM.”

In a separate comment, Kobakhidze also said, “I’m sure that Mr. Herczyński wants to be an ambassador in Georgia, but unfortunately, the ‘deep state’ does not allow him.” 

It is likely that other GD members will parrot the upgraded message box as well.

“It, of course, raises concern that some diplomats are making inappropriate, non-diplomatic, and sometimes even hostile statements, openly supporting and encouraging radical activism and, even more, the revolutionary agendas of these radicals,” GD parliament vice speaker Nino Tsilosani said, quoted by IPN. In this comment, she also targeted Herczyński. Tsilosani, disappointed, said that Herczyński’s remarks about sanctioning GD officials were “at the very least, unfriendly.”

In parallel, GD’s attacks on German Ambassador Peter Fischer continue, as the diplomat openly criticizes the party’s anti-democratic actions. When Fischer commented to journalists today, May 16, that if Georgia truly wants to join the EU, it is not a bad idea to speak poorly about the organization, GD parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili responded by lecturing the Ambassador on being open to criticism and not silencing dissent. Accusing Fischer of attacking “representatives elected by the Georgian people,” he added, “Such attacks must stop.”

What Now? 

Shatirishvili urged the Georgian Dream government to move beyond empty rhetoric and take real action. But with just one day since the roadmap letter’s release, it’s too early to tell if the now-routine insults will escalate into the expulsion of unwanted diplomats or other measures.

“They [GD] received new instructions from their patrons to arbitrarily expel Western diplomats from Georgia. Russia, and the Soviet Union before that, used the same method to expel American and European diplomats,” wrote Salome Samadashvili, a former diplomat and member of the opposition Lelo party, in response to Shatirishvili’s letter.

“They have no intention of ‘normalizing’ with the West on their agenda,” she concluded.

Also Read:

• 15/05/2025 – Kobakhidze Describes Current US-Georgia Relations as “Active-Negative”
• 14/05/2025 – Papuashvili Chronicles “Five Revolution Attempts” in Annual Report to GD Parliament
• 14/03/2025 – Georgian Dream Strongmen Double Down on Deep State Conspiracy Narrative
• 25/02/2025 – Kobakhidze Slams EU Ambassador as “Complicit in Violence”