TBILISI, September 25 – Tensions between Georgia and one of its strongest European partners escalated on Wednesday after Germany’s ambassador was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tbilisi, a move Berlin condemned as “baseless” and “aggressive.”
Ambassador Peter Fischer told reporters before entering the building that it was the first time in modern Georgian-German relations that a German envoy had been formally summoned to the ministry. He called the step “a form of diplomatic sanction.”
Fischer did not discuss details of the closed-door meeting afterward but posted on social media that he had rejected “unfounded attacks” against him and blamed the Georgian government and the ruling Georgian Dream party for bringing ties “to a new low point.” He added: “They did not listen. I am not a radical. Germany remains a friend.”
The German Foreign Office in Berlin backed him up, issuing a sharp statement denouncing the Georgian authorities for what it called “aggressive rhetoric” and an “unfounded summons.” It stressed that the ambassador represents the official position of the federal government and operates fully in line with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The incident comes against the background of earlier friction between the government and Fischer, over his links to opposition activists. The ambassador showed up at Elene Khostaria’s outdoors hunger strike protest for boycotting the October 4 local elections and was accused of having financial ties to another opposition party, Lelo.
Georgia’s relations with the European Union remain strained as a joint statement by 33 embassies in Tbilisi recently criticized the government over deteriorating democratic standards.
