Georgian speaker slams EU embassy for correspondence with "terrorist"

Correspondence between an embassy and a terrorist is not part of everyday diplomatic activity, and the EU embassy’s justification makes it seem they truly think Georgians are stupid, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said.

This was Papuashvili’s reaction to the EU Embassy’s explanation that it is “normal diplomatic practice” to respond when Georgian citizens write to them, Caliber.Az reports per Georgian media.

"It is simply astonishing when the EU embassy writes a letter to a terrorist. Does this require the Vienna Convention, or just basic humanity, to not engage in polite correspondence with a terrorist?! Yesterday, we heard an absolutely shameful explanation that this is supposedly standard diplomatic practice, that the embassy receives mail from Georgian citizens, and embassy staff sit and respond to them on current, relevant issues. Do they really think we Georgians are fools?” he said.

Papuashvili emphasised that correspondence with a terrorist cannot be considered a routine diplomatic activity, calling the fact itself a scandal.

He added that the letter’s content was even more concerning, as it included demands to release individuals convicted of violence during protests — an act he described as a clear form of support disguised as neutrality.

The controversy surrounding Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili’s criticism of the European Union delegation in Tbilisi stems from a letter exchange between the EU mission and a jailed Georgian activist.

In late September 2025, the EU Delegation confirmed that it had responded to a letter sent from prison by protester Zviad Tsetskhladze, who had been arrested during anti-government demonstrations earlier that year.

The response, signed by the head of the Delegation’s Political, Press, and Information Section, stated that the EU, together with other partner embassies, was monitoring the cases of detained protesters and expressed concern about Georgia’s democratic trajectory.

The EU Delegation, however, defended its actions as a routine part of diplomatic engagement, noting that it had merely replied to a citizen’s letter.

By Jeyhun Aghazada