Georgian PM: British Ambassador’s statements assault on Georgian public, its elected Government

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday sharply criticised the British Ambassador to Georgia, responding to a journalist’s question about remarks the ambassador had made at a university event.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze noted that the statements constituted “an attack on the Georgian people and the Georgian Government - the Government elected by the Georgian people”, which he described as “very unfortunate”.

“In this context, I recall the words of Liz Truss, who spoke directly about the deep state having gained substantial influence over the British government. Otherwise, none of this can be explained. A sovereign and dignified British bureaucracy would not behave the way the British Ambassador to Georgia behaves. Therefore, once again, we must recall the words of Liz Truss, who spoke directly about the deep state having deprived the British government of its sovereignty”, the PM said.

“Such statements by the Ambassador could directly be interpreted as statements of an ambassador of a country stripped of dignity and sovereignty. This was a very tragic development. We are talking about Great Britain and England, which have traditionally been regarded as the cradle of the idea of democracy and the rule of law. Under such circumstances, the Ambassador of this state was directly undermining these fundamental principles. Were it not for the loss of sovereignty, the British Ambassador to Georgia would not have behaved this way. Instead of making such statements, the British Ambassador should have apologized for the report full of falsehoods that the British public broadcaster aired”, he concluded.

The British Embassy published information on social media about the Ambassador’s meeting with students, noting that Gareth Ward discussed a range of topics, including UK-Georgia relations.

According to the Embassy’s statement, the Ambassador said political relations between the two countries have been strained due to “anti-democratic pressure on the opposition and civil society in Georgia”.