Georgian PM slams German Ambassador as “member of radical opposition”

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday attacked German Ambassador to Georgia, Peter Fischer, calling him a “representative of the radical opposition.” The remarks come in response to Germany’s recent decision to suspend scientific cooperation with Georgia.

“There is now a current outgoing Minister of Education who has already wagged his tail before leaving his post,” Kobakhidze claimed. Referring to Fischer, he added, “In fact, Germany does not have an ambassador in Georgia today. They have a representative in the radical opposition—nothing else can be called the German ambassador. This situation must change.”

He, however, expressed a willingness to restore close ties with Germany. “We are maximally interested in restoring close relations with Germany. As soon as the situation changes, including personnel decisions, we think we will have progress in relations,” he said.

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research recently announced it was freezing cooperation with Georgia in the fields of science and education. Ambassador Fischer cited concerns over “Georgia’s restriction of academic freedom and suspension of its EU accession process” as the reason for the decision.