Georgian FM slams European Ministers’ letter as spreading “false narratives”

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Saturday strongly criticised a joint statement issued by the Foreign Ministers of 17 European countries and the High Representative of the European Union concerning Georgia.

Botchorishvili asserted that such statements were contributing to the spread of false narratives about Georgia and suggested the letter served to overshadow a recent offer made by the Georgian President to pardon convicted politicians if they officially apply for clemency and confirm their intent to participate in the 2025 local elections.

The joint statement from the 17 European foreign ministers and the EU High Representative urged the Georgian government to “immediately release unjustly detained politicians, journalists, and activists, repeal repressive legislation, and engage in national dialogue with all relevant parties”.

“Such statements once again facilitate the spread of false narratives about Georgia. This letter is, in a way, a cover for the statement made by the President, which was aimed precisely at ensuring that nothing threatens the elections and that there are no obstructive circumstances related to the elections - if this is important to the Georgian political spectrum and if participating in elections and being part of democracy through elections is important to them at all. The President’s statement was made in this context and is part of the Georgian political process. The statements we hear, which reference elections and are linked to legal processes, serve only one purpose: to further spread and reinforce false narratives about Georgia”, the Minister said.