Georgian PM says Macron’s remark about US Ambassador “very interesting” amid past violations by French envoys

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday said that several French ambassadors in the past had made “harsh statements” that breached the Vienna Convention, in response to recent comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron about the US Ambassador to the country.

“This is an interesting statement. For many years, we have been talking about how ambassadors - including European ambassadors - were systematically violating the Vienna Convention and the norms of international law, and were blatantly interfering in Georgian politics. These interventions were obvious to everyone. In this context, when we used to make statements about this issue, there was zero reaction”, the PM said.

“I hope these standards will change and that we will move away from double standards and return to healthy, fair standards. If such trends do emerge, it would be very important. However, what we are seeing is that ambassadors from various countries - including European ambassadors - very often blatantly violate the Vienna Convention, and this must come to an end. This is, first and foremost, necessary to improve the reputation of the European Union and the European bureaucracy in the eyes of the Georgian people”, he concluded.

President Macron earlier criticised US Ambassador Charles Kushner, calling his public remarks about France “unacceptable” for a diplomat.