EU’s Kallas won’t find Georgia on a map, Tbilisi Mayor

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has criticised EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas over her remarks about Georgia, claiming she would struggle to locate the country on a map.

Responding to Kallas’s comments ahead of an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg, Kaladze said Georgia’s importance was clear to anyone approaching relations with the country without political bias.

“If you gave Kaja Kallas a map, she wouldn’t be able to show you where Georgia is. What are we even talking about?” Kaladze said.

He alleged that the EU’s objective was to bring people aligned with its interests to power in Georgia and use the country to advance its own agenda, drawing a comparison with Ukraine.

“This is a truly sad and disappointing example,” he said.

The Tbilisi mayor also described Georgia as a leading country in economic and democratic development, citing what he said were the country’s achievements in recent years.

He also defended the government’s approach to freedom of speech and expression, arguing that these rights should protect people regardless of their political views.

“Freedom of speech and expression must be available to every person. That is the kind of country we are building,” Kaladze said.

His remarks come amid strained relations between Georgia and the European Union. The EU has expressed concerns about Georgia’s democratic trajectory, while the Georgian government has repeatedly accused European officials of political interference.