Georgian ambassador to the European Union resigns

Resignation of Georgian ambassador to the EU

Nata Sabanadze, who has headed Georgia’s mission to the European Union since 2013, is leaving the post.

“In just a few months, it will be 8 years since I have represented Georgia in Brussels and lead our mission to the European Union. It was a great honour and responsibility for me. It was a mission full of both successes and challenges – professional or moral. It’s time to turn this page today. I decided to write a letter of resignation, which was approved by the minister.

“Georgia’s European future is a goal that I will always strive for. I believe in this goal; I believe not because EU membership is a panacea, but because it is the only way to preserve our freedom and dignity. I want to thank the embassy staff, my team, to whom I am very grateful and without whose support and work nothing would have happened. State officials like them are the backbone of our state”, Sabanadze wrote on Facebook.

Nata Sabanadze was appointed Head of Georgia’s Mission to the European Union and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in May 2013.

Prior to that, she served as Senior Adviser to the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities in The Hague.

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Nata Sabanadze’s statement coincided with the political crisis in Georgia and the visit of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili to Brussels.

The political crisis in Georgia began after the parliamentary elections in October 2020, when the opposition did not recognize the election results and refused to take up seats in parliament.

The situation was exacerbated by the arrest in February of Nika Melia, chairman of the United National Movement, the largest opposition party.

Political processes are now taking place on the streets, where the opposition and civic activists are holding rallies with two main demands: the release of individuals detained for political reasons, and the announcement of early parliamentary elections.

For the first time in history, an almost one-party parliament has been operating in the country.

Diplomats accredited in the country, who acted as intermediaries in the processes, could not find a way out of the political impasse. This also did not work for high-ranking EU officials – President of the European Council Charles Michel came to Georgia, and Prime Minister Garibashvili was invited to Brussels to discuss the situation. All meetings and negotiations have yielded no results.

EU Special Representative Michelle Christian Danielson also came to Georgia, but his five-day visit failed – the government and the opposition could not come to an agreement.