Ruling Party accuses Western diplomats of interfering in Georgia’s internal affairs, defends ‘policy of patience’

The Leader of the Parliamentary majority, Irakli Kirtskhalia, has accused several Western and EU-member-state ambassadors accredited in Georgia of “crossing diplomatic boundaries” and showing “clear signs of interference” in the country’s internal affairs.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Georgian Dream headquarters in Tbilisi on Tuesday, Kirtskhalia said that such behavior had intensified since the start of the war in Ukraine, and that the ruling party wanted to explain to the “justifiably outraged public” why the government was pursuing a policy of patience instead of expelling certain ambassadors.

“In recent years - particularly since the beginning of the war in Ukraine - we have witnessed actions by some Western, including EU-member-state ambassadors, that go far beyond diplomatic limits and show obvious signs of interference in Georgia’s internal matters,” Kirtskhalia said.

He argued that Georgia’s patience was strategic, as expelling ambassadors would be counterproductive while “decisions on their appointments are made by Eurobureaucrats controlled by the [so-called] deep state.”

Kirkchalia further claimed that “deep state influence” had captured not only EU institutions but also individual European governments, which, he said, had led to biased policies toward Georgia.

He cited a “series of examples” as alleged evidence of Western bias, including:

• The EU’s refusal to grant Georgia candidate status in 2022, which, he said, the country “deserved most among candidate states”;
  
  Unfair and politically motivated resolutions by the European Parliament and the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) that, according to him, had sought to radicalize Georgia’s domestic politics and support “revolutionary change”;
  
  Statements by certain European ambassadors and politicians that he said “almost directly supported attempts to overthrow Georgia’s constitutional order”; and
  
  EU countries imposing sanctions on Georgian judges and politicians “for absurd reasons.”

Kirtskhalia reiterated that the Georgian government considered such behavior undiplomatic and unfriendly, particularly from states regarded as partners. However, he stressed that the government would continue to act with restraint to avoid escalating tensions with the West.

“Unfortunately, many European institutions and their bureaucracies are under the influence of the deep state, whose aim is to subordinate Georgia and interfere in its internal affairs,” Kirtskhalia said.