Georgian Parliament Speaker: EU Ambassador Herczyński might have been evacuated like diplomats in Kyiv had Georgia followed EU advice

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday commented on a Europe Day event held in the Kakheti region, saying Georgia’s decision to disregard the advice of European Union Ambassador Paweł Herczyński and his superiors had allowed the diplomat to dance in the country. He added that, had the government followed their advice, the Ambassador might have been evacuated, as diplomats were from Kyiv.

“We saw the EU Ambassador dancing, and it is very good that he has the opportunity to dance in Georgia. It is good that our society also has the mood and opportunity to enjoy itself”, he said.

Papuashvili noted that if the Georgian authorities had followed the advice of the EU Ambassador and his leadership, Georgians would have little reason to celebrate today.

“Georgia would be an economically devastated country today. Georgia would be a country devastated by war if we had listened to Herczyński personally and his leadership. We do not expect gratitude from him, but I hope he will understand that the reason he had the opportunity to dance is that the Georgian Government did not listen to him and his superiors and acted in the country’s interests”, he said.

“May God grant him the pleasure of dancing and celebrating, but had we followed their advice, the EU Ambassador might not be in Georgia either. He would have been evacuated, just as ambassadors left Kyiv. The Georgian Ambassador was the only one who remained”, Papuashvili concluded.

The Europe Day event in Kakheti was organised by the EU Delegation. A band that had previously drawn criticism from the Georgian public performed at the event, and the EU Ambassador danced to its music. One of the songs played during the event had also been heard at protest rallies.

The report also noted that Herczyński had not distanced himself from the band’s allegedly offensive messages and had reiterated his support for musician Kordz, whose statements, according to the report, had offended more than one million Georgians.