Georgian Foreign Ministry rejects “slanderous” accusations by former Ambassador to France
The state body also emphasised the need for a “highly qualified and experienced” diplomat to assume the position of the Ambassador to France on the backdrop of Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration agenda, which it said had recently “entered a very important stage”. Photo: Foreign Ministry.
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The Georgian Foreign Ministry on Friday expressed its “absolute astonishment” with “slanderous accusations” by Tea Katukia, Georgia’s former Ambassador to France, after the former diplomat alleged “continuous pressure” from the Ministry and claimed to have identified “serious violations and structural malfunctions” at the Embassy before her resignation.
The foreign office said the Ambassador had resigned her position following “prior consultations” that “made clear” the Ministry was “not content” with her performance in the diplomatic duty.
“Regrettably, she had failed to discharge her duties with competence and to uphold effectively the interests of Georgia in as important a European country as France. In view of the above-mentioned considerations, the Ministry decided to recall the Ambassador through consultations with her”, the statement said.
The state body also emphasised the need for a “highly qualified and experienced” diplomat to assume the position of the Ambassador to France on the backdrop of Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration agenda, which it said had recently “entered a very important stage”.
In a social media post on Friday, Katukia said she had submitted her resignation letter to the Georgian Foreign Minister on May 1, with the request becoming effective on Friday.
The former Ambassador said her resignation had been prompted by “continuous pressure” from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “from the first day” of her appointment. Katukia also noted she had witnessed a number of “serious violations and structural malfunctions” at the Embassy which “significantly harmed” the interests and image of the Georgian representation in France.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry on Thursday welcomed the approval of a set of “tailored support” measures for the country by the NATO Summit, with the support involving “concrete steps” to further enhance the country's defence capabilities and achieve NATO’s more effective engagement in this process.
French Ambassador to Georgia Diego Colas on Thursday said Georgia was considered a “strategic country” in the Black Sea region.
The decision of the European Council to grant Georgia the European perspective and the security challenges in the Black Sea region were discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Emmanuel Macron, the President of France.
The applications for European Union membership by the Associated Trio countries of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia and the procedures related to their self-assessment questionnaires for the European Commission were discussed by Ilia Darchiashvili, the Georgian Foreign Affairs Minister, and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian at the EU External Relations Council in Brussels on Monday.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Thursday welcomed the “particularly close and friendly” relations based on “mutual trust, respect and common European values” between Georgia and France in his message congratulating the French people on their National Day.