Georgian Prime Minister denounces foreign ambassadors’ political involvement as violation of Vienna Convention

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday said certain foreign ambassadors were directly involved in domestic political processes, calling it a “blatant violation” of democratic principles and a serious breach of the Vienna Convention.

His remarks came in response to a journalist’s question regarding the summoning of European ambassadors to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The summoning of ambassadors is a routine diplomatic measure, and the [Georgian] Government hopes they will return to diplomatic norms. They must respect rules and principles - including the European approach. Ambassadors cannot act with a Soviet-style mindset. The purpose of summoning them is to ensure they return to diplomatic conduct. You may recall President Macron’s statement regarding one ambassador, whose comment was much milder and did not directly interfere in French politics, yet it still drew a reaction from the French President. Here, however, there is direct, blatant interference in politics, including encouragement of radicalism and polarization, which is a gross violation of the Vienna Convention”, the PM said.

The Prime Minister stressed that the Vienna Convention prohibits interference in political processes and argued that this prohibition was being flagrantly disregarded in Georgia.

“The Vienna Convention forbids interference in political affairs, and here it happens in a very blatant form, very frequently. This includes direct interference in electoral processes - for example, the EU ambassador called on voters to mobilise against the incumbent Government. There is no harsher violation of the Vienna Convention than this. There are numerous such examples. You may recall ambassadors attending judicial proceedings to influence judges, which is also a gross violation of both the Vienna Convention and the principle of judicial independence. Ambassadors should not act in this way, especially those representing Europe. Europe has traditionally stood as a symbol of respect for rules and principles, but unfortunately, we now see EU ambassadors frequently violating these rules and principles in a blatant manner, which is absolutely unacceptable. In Georgia, ambassadors must act as ambassadors, not politicians”, Kobakhidze concluded.