Georgian Parliament Speaker says German Ambassador should disavow extremist groups

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said the German Ambassador Peter Fischer, who has reportedly been troubled by allegations of supporting extremists, could easily avoid such accusations by not supporting extremist groups.

In his remarks, Papuashvili noted that if Fischer wanted to dispel claims of backing extremists, he should publicly distance himself from such groups.

“There is an extremist group that attacked MP Mariam Lashkhi with fascist chants. After that incident, Mr. Peter invited these individuals to the Embassy, expressed support, and said they were the future of Georgia, that Georgia’s future was in good hands with them. The very next day, the same group attacked the ruling party’s headquarters in Tbilisi, again with political violence and fascist slogans”, he said.

“If Mr. Peter does not want to see accusations of supporting extremists, he must publicly distance himself from this group just as openly as he supported them - by hosting them at the embassy and making a public statement”, Papuashvili continued.

The Speaker further highlighted that Peter’s actions were not unprecedented, as he had also met extremist groups in Gori, where a banner reading “slave” was displayed.

He emphasised that such actions had encouraged politically motivated violence, which most recently had targeted the ruling party’s Tbilisi office.

“This damages Germany more than Georgia. It is difficult to speak of improving Georgian-German relations while Mr. Peter is in office, which is regrettable. In just three years, he has managed to undermine the best partnership between Georgia and Germany that was built over three decades. The Georgian people hold deep respect for Germany, including from the period of regaining independence. But within three years, this individual has brought relations to their lowest point. He publicly supported a group that attacked a Georgian MP, then welcomed them at the embassy, calling them the future of Georgia. Encouraged by this, they later attacked the ruling party’s campaign office”, Papuashvili concluded.