EU Condemns Attacks of Certain Political Actors, Media Outlets against German Amb.
The Delegation of the European Union to Georgia has issued the following statement in agreement with the EU Heads of Mission:
“We condemn the attacks of certain political actors and media outlets against our colleague, Hubert Knirsch, the Ambassador of Germany. All actors supporting the democratic and European path of Georgia should refrain from accusations of a disrespectful nature and uphold the human dignity of everybody who is active in public life.”
The public interest around the Ambassador of Germany to Georgia Hubert Knirsch increased since he, as one of the facilitators of the political dialogue between the government and the opposition, had to recall the contents of the March 8 agreement, claiming that the opposition leader Giorgi Rurua's release was not a part of the agreement. The above statement caused a negative approach to him among certain political actors and media outlets.
On June 28, the German Embassy in Georgia has sent the letter to the editorial staff of Tabula Magazine regarding the misrepresentation of the Ambassador's interview.
"You write as if in the interview the ambassador says that the force used by the police during the dispersal of the rally on June 20, 2019, was proportional. With this, you are distorting his phrases. Actually, the ambassador said that the use of force by the police in certain situations may become necessary, but it should be proportional. Other Georgian media outlets also used and disseminated this misrepresentation spread by you," reads the letter.
In turn, the Ambassador has expressed his surprise due to the comments made by the people who "Know nothing about him."
"I am surprised by the comments people make about me, those I have not met and who know nothing about me," Hubert Knirsch commented after a meeting with Minister of Health Ekaterine Tikaradze yesterday.
"I am glad that I had the opportunity to personally congratulate the Minister on the success of the country in relation to coronavirus. We discussed cooperation between the countries, including issues related to flights. Flights will be gradually resumed between Germany and Georgia.
"We also talked about future cooperation. We discussed today's important development, that is, the adoption of constitutional amendments by the Parliament. We, facilitators, issued a statement in this regard. It is a very good step for the next parliamentary elections, as it will increase pluralism in the Parliament of Georgia. Both in Georgia and in some other countries, very rough words and gestures are used when discussing local political issues. I am surprised by the comments people make about me, those I have not met and who know nothing about me. I think that this is part of the political process and Georgia will overcome it, as it will develop democratically. The most important thing is that the constitutional amendments have been adopted, which makes me very happy,” he said.
By Ana Dumbadze
Related Story: German Embassy Accuses Tabula Magazine of Distorting Ambassador's Words