After a tense meeting at the Foreign Ministry, the German ambassador was summoned to the Georgian Dream government
Georgian Dream criticizes German ambassador
The administration of the Georgian Dream government issued a critical statement after summoning German Ambassador Peter Fischer for a meeting. The statement said the authorities are dissatisfied with the current level of relations with Germany and ‘hope’ for a change in the situation.’
What the government administration says
“The discussion concerned a meeting with the diplomat that took place when he was summoned to the Georgian Foreign Ministry. It was noted that this diplomatic measure was based on relevant circumstances.
Levan Zhorzholiani, head of the government administration, stated that the Georgian government attaches great importance to relations with partner countries and hopes that the work of diplomatic missions will continue in accordance with the principles of cooperation and mutual respect.
The meeting also addressed Georgia’s law ‘On Grants.’ The German ambassador asked the head of the government administration to make an exception to the law for German organizations and allow them to enter into agreements with Georgian NGOs.
Levan Zhorzholiani explained to the ambassador the procedure for obtaining approval to provide grants and noted that the law applies equally to everyone, and the Georgian government cannot allow a discriminatory approach,” the statement said.
In spring 2025, the Georgian Dream parliament quickly passed five legislative amendments, including changes to the law ‘On Grants,’ significantly restricting the activities of NGOs and media in Georgia. These laws effectively ban organizations funded from abroad, increase state control, and allow punishment of those who express critical views toward the authorities.
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Context
- In recent months, representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party have accused EU ambassadors and other partner countries of allegedly supporting violence and extremism in Georgia.
- German Ambassador to Georgia Peter Fischer was summoned to the Georgian Foreign Ministry on September 24. Before his visit, Fischer stated that this was an unusual situation in relations between “friendly states.”
- On September 8, Georgian Dream parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili wrote on social media that “titushki” supported by the German ambassador had attacked the Tbilisi headquarters of Georgian Dream.
- German Ambassador Peter Fischer denied this claim and wrote on X that Germany’s Federal Minister for European Affairs had expressed full support from the German government to him as ambassador.
- On September 10, the German Foreign Ministry issued a statement strongly condemning Papuashvili’s “baseless accusations” and called on the Georgian authorities to stop spreading false information and change their political course.
- On September 24, 27 embassies in Georgia issued a statement regarding accusations against the role and activities of their diplomatic missions in the country, saying such allegations undermine the ability of “our diplomatic missions to carry out their duties.”
The statement emphasizes that meetings between diplomats and both the government and representatives of the opposition and civil society fully comply with the Vienna Convention.
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