Tbilisi Mayor slams German bureaucracy following suspension of Tbilisi-Saarbrücken partnership

The mayor of Tbilisi, Kakha Kaladze, on Tuesday sharply criticised German authorities on social media following a decision by the German city of Saarbrücken to suspend its sister-city relationship with Tbilisi - a partnership spanning over 50 years.

In a statement titled A Letter of Condolence to the German People, Kaladze expressed deep regret that decades of cultural and partnership ties are being damaged due to “one-sided political conjecture”.

He accused German bureaucrats of being subservient to a “deep state” and prioritizing political speculation over historical friendship.

Kaladze pointed out that while Europe is facing a full-scale military conflict, Germany itself is bogged down by severe internal crises, which he claims are driven by leaders influenced by “informal oligarchic interests”.

"It is unbelievable that today... Germany is practically bogged down in a swamp and faces enormous challenges - economic crisis, catastrophically rising crime rates, demographic problems, a migrant crisis, social tension, and a crisis of values”, Kaladze said. “Yet, German bureaucrats still find time to evaluate the political situation in Georgia and take ‘decisive measures’ by severing all relations with Tbilisi”.

The Tbilisi mayor also accused European authorities of double standards. He suggested that if German officials were genuinely concerned about democracy and human rights, they should look at recent events within Europe. He specifically referenced a protest in Copenhagen, where he claimed peaceful demonstrators were attacked with batons and police dogs.

According to Kaladze, these actions reflect an “absurd and tragic situation” where the current German bureaucracy serves external “deep state” interests rather than the needs of its own citizens.

Despite his harsh critique of Germany's leadership, Kaladze expressed ultimate faith in the German public, describing them as historically rational people with a high political culture.

“We believe that German society has enough wisdom and strength to maintain independent thinking, protect its national interests, and bring a political force to power that will focus on solving the real problems of Germany and obey the will of the German people”, Kaladze concluded.