Germany recalls ambassador to Georgia over anti-EU ‘agitation’
Agencies :
Germany said Sunday it has temporarily recalled its ambassador to Georgia, marking a step-up in the spat between the Caucasus country and the European Union.
“Georgia’s leadership has for months been agitating against the EU, Germany and the German ambassador personally,” Germany’s foreign ministry said in a post on the X platform.
“The foreign minister has therefore decided to recall ambassador Fischer for consultations to discuss further steps,” it added.
Germany’s ambassador Peter Fischer has come under fire from Georgian politicians including Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who in September accused Fischer of interfering in Georgian affairs and publicly floated the possibility of expelling him.
Fischer has been accused of interfering in Georgian politics after attending court hearings of opposition figures, and has slammed the Georgian government and some media for what he says are inappropriate references to Germany’s dark Nazi past.
“Germany objects to use of terms and comparison related to Nazi Germany that are historically, politically and morally wrong because they demean the victims and raise false implications,” he said in a recent X post.
The post followed Kobakhidze calling a statement from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe “Gobbelsian propaganda”.
The OSCE statement had alleged a “rapid deterioration of the democratic and human rights environment” in Georgia.
In power since 2012, Kobakhidze’s Georgian Dream party has faced accusations of democratic backsliding, drifting towards Russia and derailing Georgia’s EU-membership bid enshrined in the country’s constitution.
Georgian Dream rejects the allegations, saying it is safeguarding “stability” in the country of four million while a Western “deep state” seeks to drag the country into the war in Ukraine with the help of opposition parties.
Brussels effectively froze the EU-candidate country’s accession bid last year after a disputed parliamentary vote. Tbilisi did not immediately react to Berlin recalling its ambassador.