French Ambassador Calls on GD Government to Reverse Course in Farewell Speech
called
on the Georgian Dream government to 'release unduly detained politicians, journalists and activists; repeal repressive legislations; and reverse the current authoritarian course of action.'
Speaking at a Bastille Day reception in Tbilisi, Amb. Gasri anchored her remarks in the French Republic's founding principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity. As she concludes her diplomatic term, she expressed hope for Georgia's democratic resilience.
'As I am ending my term in Georgia, I am confident that the Georgian people, with its deep sense of unity and independence, will come together, rise above divisions, and defend its democratic and European future,' Ambassador said, invoking French President Emmanuel Macron's commitment: 'France will stand by Georgia on its path towards Europe and in its quest for Liberty.'
Highlighting the value of equality, the ambassador pointed to the French Embassy's initiatives in Georgia, including financial support for women entrepreneurs and rural small businesses, as well as contributions to the development of pediatric care.
Touching on fraternity, Amb. Gasri celebrated the cultural bond between France and Georgia. 'Our people, civil societies, businesses, armed forces will continue to move ahead together, in a spirit of solidarity and mutual respect, to bring our nations safer and closer; beyond narrow interests, conspiracy theories and propaganda,' she said.
Georgian Dream has targeted France in its anti-European rhetoric. A recent statement from the Georgian Dream political council, which rejected the EU criticism,
named France
among the countries that persecute political opposition.
Amb. Gasri has been among a cohort of European ambassadors who have vocally supported Georgian civil society amid mounting concerns over democratic backsliding. In April, Georgian Dream Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili criticized the French Embassy for awarding a grant to the Soviet Past Research Laboratory (SovLab), accusing it of 'indirectly funding rallies' and calling SovLab's leaders 'politicians, representatives of radical parties.'
'It seems that some people consider our country as a backyard,' Papuashvili said, asserting that 'all ambassadors' should remember they are 'guests' in Georgia.
The French envoy has also drawn the ire of the Georgian Dream lawmakers for her visible solidarity with journalists and activists. On March 4, Amb. Gasri was present at the trial of Mzia Amaghlobeli, director of the independent outlet Batumelebi/Netgazeti.
Also Read:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
OC Media
a day ago
- OC Media
Armenian LPG lorries claim Georgians demanding $1,500 bribe to be allowed through border
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member Liquified petroleum gas (LPG) prices have surged to 50% as Armenian lorries carrying LPG continue to be obstructed from entering into Georgia from Russia. While Georgia denies that the lorries were being obstructed, lorry drivers claim that they are being pressed to pay bribes of up to $1,500 in order to be allowed entry. Throughout the week, prices of LPG at Armenian pumps reached ֏180 ($0.47) per litre, a dramatic increase from the previous rate of ֏120 ($0.31) per litre. Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan commented on reports of bribes at the Georgian border on Tuesday, saying he would forward any comments he had received on the matter to Armenia's Anti-Corruption Committee. 'This is important, because if there is indeed bribery, this must also be revealed and informed to Georgian colleagues', Papoyan wrote. Papoyan had been updating his followers on Facebook on the situation on the Georgian border since it first began. One Facebook user commented on Papoyan's status asking him to comment on how lorry drivers were being asked to pay bribes of $1,200. RFE/RL has cited an anonymous source as saying that the Georgian side is allegedly charging $1,500 per lorry 'to permit entry into Armenia', otherwise the drivers are forced to wait in long queues in the summer heat. The news outlet wrote that LPG importers would pass the bribes to an 'intermediary' in Armenia who would 'get in touch and allow the lorries to move'. Advertisement RFE/RL's source has also claimed that vehicles from other countries do not encounter the same difficulties entering Georgia. Importers previously said they were unaware of what was causing the problem, and that they had only previously faced similar issues on the border due to weather conditions or other 'objective' factors. The Armenian authorities have not provided any statement clarifying why the lorries were being barred entry to Georgia. In a post on Friday, Papoyan announced that on Thursday, 77 lorries carrying LPG entered Armenia, with 331 lorries crossing the border in the past week. 'I think it's time for the Competition Protection Commission to deal with the issue of price changes in the liquefied gas market', Papoyan concluded. 'A complete lie' Following the coverage of the obstruction of LPG supply for over a week and subsequent price increase in Armenia, Georgian authorities dismissed reports of Armenian lorries being stuck on the border with Russia as 'another misinformative statement made by some media and representatives of opposition parties in Georgia' In its post on Wednesday, the Georgian Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance also denied 'blocking' Armenian cargo, including gas products. 'This is a complete lie, serves to mislead society, discredit institutions, and politicise the issue', the statement read. Instead, they suggested that 'under the increased volume of cargo traffic, all customs procedures for vehicles involved in international shipments are carried out in special/active mode, in order to smoothly conduct them'. Footage shared online of the border showed the long queues of lorries believed to be carrying LPG at the Upper Lars checkpoint. Some showed drivers were seen hosing down tankers with water jets in order to cool them down as temperatures spike, with drivers warning that the temperatures could cause leakage or explosions. Addressing the videos, the Georgian authorities claimed that they did not reflect 'the real situation' at the Upper Lars checkpoint, 'where for a short period of time there was a minor delay with the lorries, which was completely eliminated'. Georgia's obstruction of Armenia's gas supply emerged shortly after the two countries entered a dispute which saw Georgia bar lorries carrying Armenian brandy from crossing into Russia through its borders. Since late April, Armenian cargo had been subjected to inspections in Georgia, effectively halting the transit of Armenian brandy. As of early July, reports suggested that issues surrounding the brandy lorries had yet to be resolved, despite meetings between the two sides.
OC Media
a day ago
- OC Media
Kobakhidze says participation in local elections won't help opposition parties circumvent ban
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze clarified that the ruling Georgian Dream party will request the Constitutional Court to ban major opposition parties regardless of whether or not participate in the municipal elections. Kobakhidze's comment came in response to a question regarding Lelo — Strong Georgia and For Georgia: two opposition groups that have announced their intent to participate in the upcoming October 2025 local elections, despite the bulk of the country's opposition parties boycotting the vote. A journalist had asked Kobakhidze whether the ruling party would still seek to ban Lelo and For Georgia should they manage to secure mandates at the municipal level. 'We will appeal [to the court] regarding all four parties, because all four are essentially one political power — this is the collective UNM. It is a foreign agency that, for years now, since 2003, has been collectively working against Georgia's national interests', he said. When asked for clarification on whether Lelo and For Georgia's participation in the elections would change anything, Kobakhidze responded saying: 'Of course not'. Kobakhidze was referring to all four major pro-Western opposition groups that managed to cross the electoral threshold in the disputed 2024 parliamentary elections. Those include the United National Movement (UNM), which ruled Georgia between 2003–2012, as well as Coalition for Change, Lelo, and For Georgia. The ruling party and their satellites regularly refer to the four groups as the 'collective National Movement', claiming that they are either spun off from the UNM, led by former UNM officials, or cooperated with the former ruling party in some way. Advertisement Georgian Dream's accuses the UNM of being a criminal regime that has committed serious offences while in power and, therefore, should no longer be allowed to exist. In February, Georgian Dream established a 'fact-finding commission' in parliament, with the aim of investigating the UNM's rule in order to ban the party. Initially, its mandate was limited to the UNM's years in government, but it was later expanded to cover the period up to the present day — effectively allowing the ruling party to target virtually any opposition figure. Numerous opposition leaders have been arrested for boycotting the commission. Georgian Dream has already announced that the commission's conclusions will serve as the basis for its petition to the Constitutional Court, where it will seek to ban the UNM and its 'satellites.' Later, in April, the ruling party passed a law that would allow the banning of political parties if they are deemed similar to previously banned parties. Critics believe that Georgian Dream could use this bill to request the banning of existing and future parties deemed to be successors of previously banned groups. In April, Georgian Dream also stated that, due to procedural issues, the party bans would not happen before the October municipal elections. Several opposition groups — including the UNM and the Coalition for Change — have declared a boycott of the October elections. For supporters of a boycott, taking part in the elections would undermine the policy of refusing to recognise Georgian Dream's legitimacy following the disputed 2024 parliamentary elections, which were marred by major electoral violations. Parties in favour of participating in the elections have argued that opposition involvement in the process will strengthen the anti-government momentum and prevent Georgian Dream from gaining full control over all state institutions.
OC Media
a day ago
- OC Media
Kobakhidze says EU threats to revoke visa-free status part of ‘global war party' and ‘deep state' conspiracy
Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member In a lengthy, conspiracy theory-filled public statement on Friday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze spoke about the new sanctions package against Russia and possibility of EU halting its visa-free regime with Georgia. He once again referred to Georgian Dream conspiracy theories about the so-called 'deep state' and the 'global war party' secretly controlling the world, along with new twists, adding that the forces are trying to 'destroy both Europe and Russia at the same time'. Before reading out the statement, Kobakhidze said he was presenting the Georgian Dream party as a leader and was presenting the party's position. Quickly, he launched into familiar conspiracy theory-tinged rhetoric Georgian Dream has used since its electoral campaign in 2024, that the global war party wants to push Georgia to open a second front by attacking Russia, and to achieve this goal, is using EU structures and bureaucracy to threaten Georgia. The global war party and deep state are two nebulous terms that regularly fit into Georgian Dream's conspiracy theories, and refer to shadowy forces that are trying to overthrow the Georgian government and push it into war. Kobakhidze accused the previous US administration of imposing unjust sanctions against the Georgian Dream billionaire founder and honorary chair Bidzina Ivanishvili for 'not opening the second front'. Bera Ivanishvili (left), Bidzina Ivanishvili (middle), Ekaterina Khvedelidze (right). Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media. At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kobakhidze said that Georgia did everything to politically support Ukraine, including joining 'hundreds of resolutions', co-sponsoring investigation of war crimes, sheltering Ukrainian refugees, sending humanitarian aid, and other activities. 'So we opened the discussion and asked a rhetorical question — what did Georgia do [to deserve this blackmail]? The answer to this question was found by our political team and Georgian society very soon — we did not engage in war, we did not open the second front in our country against Russia, which is why the former [US] administration, instructed by the global war party, also known as the deep state, decided to punish Georgia', he said. Two days before the briefing, Mamuka Mdinaradze, the head of Georgian Dream's parliamentary faction, claimed that the demand to push Georgia into war was not on the agenda anymore. 'It seems this issue is not on the agenda today. No one tells us to start a war, I am honestly telling you, compared to the period from a few years ago, it is different', Mdinaradze said at the time. Mamuka Mdinaradze. Official photo. Just days later, the party statement said the opposite, as Kobakhidze alleged the demand to push Georgia to join in the war between Russia and Ukraine has not weakened, but has rather become more intense. Continuing on, Kobakhidze said the warmongering pressure came not just from the administration of former President Joe Biden, but also today through European bureaucracy. 'It is no longer a secret that the global war party has European bureaucracy in full coordination and is wildly blackmailing our country', he said. Kobakhidze added that the goal is the same — to get rid of the Georgian Dream government which will 'not be useful' to open a second front — and then install 'their agents'. He said the recent resolutions about Georgia in the European Parliament and the threat of possibly halting the EU's visa-free regime with Georgia serve the same goal. 'The logical question arises — what can a law on transparency or the protection of family values have in common with visa liberalisation? Obviously, these two issues have nothing to do with each other, but the eurobureaucracy coordinated by the global war party is trying to find some kind of basis for the blackmail and pressure it is carrying out'. 'The desire to open a second front is so great that the global war party has reorganised the entire European bureaucracy into attack mode on Georgia, and is considering the abolition of visa-free travel as the last trump card left in their hands', he continued. Continuing on, Kobakhidze continued further with the conspiracy that the global war party is doing everything to 'place the burden of the Ukrainian issue entirely on Europe's shoulders' and to destroy Europe and Russia altogether, as the leadership of EU member states currently want to prolong the war. 'The maximum armament of Ukraine, the supply of long-range weapons, the tightening of sanctions against Russia, the statements of retired generals that they are preparing for war with Russia in the near future — all this clearly demonstrates the plan of the global war party, to continue and intensify the Russian–Ukrainian war at the expense of Europe, the processes that are related to the weakening of Europe on the one hand and Russia on the other, of course, these processes will end with such an outcome', he said. Kobakhidze then highlighted the decision to increase funding for military spending in the EU, which he said 'would further aggravate the economic situation and social background of the EU' and turn European countries into militarised states. In conclusion, Kobakhidze spoke about the new US administration of President Donald Trump, claiming that Washington's attitude towards Georgia has radically changed. Echoing past comments, he said Georgian Dream wishes success in Trump's 'fight against the deep state'. 'But we have a reasonable doubt — it is possible this fight may result in the defeat of the deep state, but rather its rebranding. Its goal is to push the US aside and fully engage Europe in the Russia–Ukraine war and finally destroy Europe and Russia altogether', he said. He added that so far, the new administration has done nothing to 'correct' Biden's mistakes in regards to Georgia, and mentioned that the 'unjust sanctions' remain in place. After delivering the statement, Kobakhidze responded to several questions from journalists. When asked about the possible consequences of halting the visa-free regime with the EU, he responded that it was only a 'technical issue'. Tbilisi International Airport. Photo: Mariam Nikuradze/OC Media. 'You either have to stand in queue [for visas] or not', he said. 'A lot of Georgians go to EU member countries to receive different types of medical treatment, without a visa-free regime, this will become harder for them'. 'If you want to receive high-quality medical care in a specific direction, there are other countries, there are many countries. This is a far-fetched story, it is speculation [that the visa-free status will be removed'. Touching on demands in the recently adopted EU Parliament resolution about Georgia and the law on family values, Irakli Kobakhidze compared Georgian Dream to the 15th century Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno, who was burned at the stake for heresy. 'Giordano Bruno was burned because he proved that the Earth rotates. Today, people are burned because they believe that a man is a man and a woman is a woman. The European bureaucracy tells us that because of this, our visa liberalisation should be abolished and our visa liberalisation should be burned', he added.
