Ruling party Sec-Gen: If you ask me, EU Ambassador should be expelled from Georgia

Kakha Kaladze, the ruling Georgian Dream party Secretary General and Tbilisi Mayor, has said that the European Union’s ambassador to Georgia should be expelled from the country, accusing the diplomat of interfering in Georgia’s internal affairs and promoting political polarization.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Kaladze said the EU’s representative, Paweł Herczyński, was “using his status to cause harm” and “voicing what he is told,” suggesting the ambassador was carrying out instructions from Brussels.

“If you ask me, [the EU ambassador] should be expelled from the country - that is my attitude and vision. If it were up to me, of course I would expel him,” Kaladze said.

His comments were in response to a statement made by Ambassador Herczyński earlier this month, in which the EU envoy said that halting repression, releasing unjustly detained individuals during pro-European protests, repealing “repressive legislation,” and ensuring open political dialogue were essential steps for resolving Georgia’s ongoing crisis and returning the country to its European path.

Kaladze criticised the remarks, calling them “one of the greatest misfortunes” facing the country. He claimed that external actors were using Georgia to pursue their own political agendas.

“Whatever misfortune is happening in the country comes from the Western bureaucracy - with their funding, support, and financial capabilities,” he said, accusing EU officials of attempting to undermine the Georgian government following what he described as their “defeat” in the country’s 26 October elections last year. 

The mayor also dismissed recent protests in Georgia as orchestrated attempts at destabilisation and insisted that political change must come only through elections.

“If someone wants a change of government, it cannot and will not happen through coups and revolutions. There are elections - a civilised form,” Kaladze stated.

While reiterating that he had “nothing personal” against the ambassador, Kaladze insisted that no foreign diplomat had the right to interfere in Georgia’s domestic politics.

“I have nothing against the EU ambassador as a person. But he holds an official status and should refrain from making statements that are saturated with lies," he said.

Kaladze further clarified that his comments reflected a personal opinion and that the issue of expelling the EU ambassador was not currently under official discussion.