Ex-President Zourabichvili accuses Georgian diplomats of failing to defend country’s European path

Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zourabichvili, on Monday criticised members of the country’s diplomatic corps, accusing them of forgetting their duty to defend Georgia’s independence and European aspirations.

In a statement published on social media to mark Georgian Diplomacy Day, Zourabichvili said diplomats had “forgotten why they had the privilege of serving in the name of the country” and questioned their silence amid what she describes as a shift away from Europe.

“Diplomacy is not obedience - diplomacy is service to the nation!” she wrote.

Zourabichvili recalled that Georgian Diplomacy Day was established in 2004 while she was serving as foreign minister, inspired by the legacy of Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani - a Georgian envoy who sought closer ties with Europe in the 17th century to protect the country from imperial domination.

“Today, Georgian diplomats have forgotten why they were sent and what they must do,” she said. “What is the ambassador in Brussels doing when the country’s European course has been changed? What are you doing to save this country?”

The former president argued that true loyalty to Georgia was measured not by “career silence” but by defending the truth - “even when it is painful and costs us our comfort.”

She warned diplomats that their “inaction” risked undermining the European future “secured for them and their families thanks to the Georgian people.”

“Diplomacy should be an honour - but today that honour is missing from you,” Zourabichvili concluded.