Kakha Kaladze, the General Secretary of the ruling party Georgian Dream and the Mayor of Tbilisi, stated that the EU ambassador to Georgia, Pawel Herczynski, "would be kicked out" if he were in a "normal and developed country." This was Kaladze's response to the diplomat, who had described the Georgian Dream election banners and video clips, depicting cities destroyed by Russia in Ukraine, as shameful and disgusting.
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The Secretary General of the ruling party, Georgian Dream, described the ambassador's remarks as an "attempt to interfere" in the election process.
"The EU ambassador doesn't like it, it turned out to be horrible for him. ... People need to understand what's on one side and what's on the other. On one side, there is peace, stability, the development of the country, economic growth, and the well-being of families. On the other side, there is war, destruction, the devastation of villages, suffering, and the loss of territories, which we have already experienced. In 2008, unfortunately, we lived through the horrors of war. We do not want to repeat that.
Therefore, these statements from the ambassador are a direct attempt to interfere in the election campaign. Here, too, we must call on international observation missions to make the whole world aware of how the EU ambassador and certain embassies are behaving.
Imagine, in a normal, developed country, if the ambassador of Georgia made such statements. In all developed countries, anyone who acted in such a manner would be expelled immediately," said Kaladze.
A month before the parliamentary elections, on September 26, new Georgian Dream election banners appeared in Tbilisi with the slogan "No to war, choose peace." On one side of the banners, cities, churches, and other civilian infrastructure bombed by Russia in Ukraine are depicted in black and white, while on the other side, in the colored section, illuminated Georgian cities, Trinity Cathedral, a rehabilitated theater, a sports field, and more are shown.
President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili described the banners as "shameful" and "made in the forge of the KGB." The Ukrainian government also condemned the campaign by Georgian Dream. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they consider it unacceptable "to use images depicting the terrible consequences of Russia's merciless war against Ukraine - the suffering of thousands of innocent people and the destruction of blood, churches, and cultural heritage - in political advertising."
