Georgian Parliament Speaker calls on foreign diplomats, ambassadors to respect Vienna Convention

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Monday expressed strong criticism towards certain foreign diplomats and ambassadors, stating that their actions have “almost turned the term ambassadorship into an expletive”.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that “when a Georgian hears that someone is an ambassador, negative thoughts and emotions may already arise”, attributing this sentiment to what he described as violations of the Vienna Convention.

“Everyone should remain within their boundaries, representing their own country and respecting the Vienna Convention. The problem is that when we criticise some, they take offence. They should not engage in political debates if they don't want political answers”, the Speaker said.

“Any diplomat who does not meddle in internal affairs will not receive internal political responses. But those who come in and act like some radical opposition member, of course, there will be a response”, he continued.

Papuashvili emphasised that his statements were based on facts.

“Here's a fact: the British Embassy intended to fund extremist organisations. It's a fact that Gia Japaridze, Chergoleishvili, Tabula, and similar organisations have an extremist agenda, and the British Embassy intended to fund these individuals. Where is the answer to this? Instead, we receive baseless accusations”, he concluded.