Georgia’s ruling party official says EU Ambassador’s presence highlights “difference between two Europes”

Irakli Kirtskhalia, the chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Thursday sharply criticised EU Ambassador Paweł Herczyński, stating that while there have been numerous “objective reasons” to demand his recall, the Georgian government is instead choosing to follow a “policy of patience”.

In a social media message, Kirtskhalia accused the ambassador of failing to understand the Georgian people and acting solely as an instrument for “informal oligarchic influences” within the European bureaucracy.

“Mr. Herczyński, unfortunately, it seems that during your tenure in Georgia, you have failed to truly know our country or our people. Instead, you are purposefully and exclusively fulfilling a specific mandate. How else can you explain the fact that you describe our commitment to tradition, the sanctity of the family, our religion, and our identity as a ‘return to the dark past’?” Kirtskhalia said.

“You label our recognition of only two genders and our rejection of same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ propaganda - especially among children - as the ‘dark past’. At the same time, you seem to consider it a ‘dark past’ when the Georgian government upholds constitutional order and the rule of law. We are obligated to act legally and remain accountable to our citizens and the youth who have been incited toward revolution by a Euro-bureaucracy operating under informal oligarchic influences. You call these young people heroes, but in reality, they are victims of the policies pursued against our country”, he continued.

He criticised Herczyński for suggesting that LGBTQ+ propaganda and gender reassignment procedures for minors represent Georgia's “bright future”.

“With your statements, you are implying that our transparency laws - which prevent NGOs under oligarchic influence from funneling Brussels’ ‘dark money’ into Georgian politics - are a return to darkness. You seek the spread of a pseudo-liberal ideology that, in many ways, can be considered worse than fascism. In contrast, you seem to view the ‘bright future’ as the demands being placed on the Hungarian government: to allow LGBTQ+ propaganda and gender reassignment procedures for minors”, Kirtskhalia noted.

Kirtskhalia added that the results of this “bright future” have been clearly visible in Europe over the last 15 to 20 years.

“As long as the European Union relied on the values that Georgia is steadfastly trying to protect - values the ambassador calls ‘darkness’ - it was one of the most successful global actors. But since it abandoned these values in favour of a pseudo-liberal ideology, the EU economy has shrunk and entered recession, and most member states are facing extremely serious surges in crime”, he noted.

“To put it simply, your message sounds like this: a ‘bright future’ lies in a youth-led revolution that brings actors guided by informal oligarchic influences to power, ensuring that Georgia shares the miserable fate into which Brussels' policies have plunged European countries”, he added.

Kirtskhalia further emphasised that such undiplomatic and unfriendly behaviour is categorically unacceptable to the Georgian government.

“We categorically reject such behaviour. We are not naive; we understand that while basic diplomatic ethics should prohibit such statements against our country, the handwriting and influence of the deep state is clearly visible in your actions”, he said. “No one is under the illusion that you are carrying out a standard diplomatic mission. In the past, there have been objective reasons to request your recall on more than one occasion, but our state is acting with restraint, pursuing the policy of patience introduced by the Georgian Dream party”.

Kirtskhalia added that under this policy, the government is avoiding conflict with EU member states, as deepening partnerships remains part of the national strategy.

“On the other hand, it is obvious that as long as the European bureaucracy is subject to informal oligarchic influences, demanding your recall would be counterproductive. Instead of you, Brussels would simply send another subservient representative who, like you, does not express the actual opinions of the European population”, he noted.

He concluded by stressing that maintaining a figure like Herczyński in his post is important for one reason: it allows Georgian citizens to see the clear difference between a Europe governed by a deep state and a union based on real European values - the values to which Georgia truly aspires. He asserted that this aspiration would not be stopped by Herczyński or the Eurocracy.