“Georgian Ambassador to France resigned due to pressure from the Foreign Ministry”

Georgian Ambassador to France Thea Katukia has resigned. In a statement published on the social network, Katukia notes that she made the decision due to “constant pressure” from the Georgian Foreign Ministry.

“Dear compatriots, dear friends, today I am leaving the post of Georgian Ambassador to France. On May 1, I submitted my resignation to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, which came into force today, July 1.
I would like to thank the President of Georgia, Ms. Salome Zurabishvili, for the trust placed in me in 2019, when my candidacy for the post of Ambassador was presented.

For me, this position was associated with great responsibility. During the fulfillment of the assigned mandate, my goal was to protect the interests of Georgia as much as possible, without political bias, and bring our country closer to France and the European Union.

My decision to resign was preceded by constant pressure on me from the Foreign Ministry from the very first day of my appointment as ambassador.

Considering that I have spent the last 25 years in France and have French citizenship, I did not think that my professional path abroad and my political impartiality were unacceptable to the Georgian government.
From the very first day, I witnessed a number of serious violations at the embassy, ​​which significantly harmed the interests and image of the Georgian representation in France. I never imagined that I would have to perform this function in the face of constant insults, slander, pressure, harassment and threats that are contrary to the values ​​​​that I stand for.

I am deeply convinced that the actions mentioned above, which are unacceptable for the rule of law, do not reflect the reality of Georgian society. The aspirations of our society are based on the values ​​of freedom and justice - those values ​​that are fundamental and indivisible for every citizen of Georgia and that impose on us the obligation of unity and responsibility.

This situation did not prevent me from fulfilling the assigned mission, of course, at the cost of great personal effort and in the face of significant restrictions on activities due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During my tenure, I firmly continued to defend Georgia's European future to decision makers in France. The mentioned mission was and carries a special burden, given that today our country is at an important stage in history.

Today the European future of our country and its democratic development depend only on the political choice of the Georgian government. In this key context, the serious personnel and structural problems that I have personally encountered and that the diplomatic service of Georgia has faced, prevent the country from pursuing an effective foreign policy and adequately responding to the challenges we face.

If I leave the post of ambassador today, at a new professional stage, I will continue to take care of the political and democratic development of the country and will spare no effort for Georgia to move towards the European Union and, in general, towards democratic, progressive and tolerant values," Tea Katukia wrote on social media.