Danish Ambassador summoned to Georgian foreign office over comment on former PM
Beka Davituliani, a GD MP, said the diplomat’s words were “completely unacceptable” as “it is not her job to interfere in the internal political processes and internal affairs of the country”. Photo: MFA of Georgia
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Anne Toft Sørensen, the Danish Ambassador to Georgia, was on Thursday summoned to the country’s foreign office after mentioning Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former PM and the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, as “oligarch” in an article published in the Danish media.
Posted on the Danish news portal Jyllands-Posten on Wednesday, the article saw Sørensen say “the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili built a fortune in Russia in the 90s”.
Earlier today Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and the Secretary General of Georgian Dream, called the Ambassador's comment “filth”.
The Danish Ambassador's statement is simply filth. The public knows very well what Bidzina Ivanishvili has done for our country, the most important thing this person did was defeating the terrible, bloody regime [of the United National Movement party] in 2012”, he said.
Beka Davituliani, a GD MP, said the diplomat’s words were “completely unacceptable” as “it is not her job to interfere in the internal political processes and internal affairs of the country”.
Ivanishvili returned to domestic politics in late December through being elected the Honorary Chair of Georgian Dream.
In its comments on the controversy, the Danish Embassy said the "excerpt from a Danish article" was "being used out of context in Georgian debates”, and added it had "no desire to contribute to the above" and would refrain from making additional comments.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling party, on Saturday said the Georgian Government would fulfil its duty to ensure and guarantee the well-being of its citizens, de-occupation of the country, reconciliation, maintaining peace and developing Georgia, “more successfully” together with Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former Prime Minister and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, who was elected the honorary Chair of the GD party earlier that day.
The representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party on Saturday highlighted the importance of the return of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former Prime Minister and founder of the GD party, to politics, who earlier today was elected the honorary Chair of the party.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Saturday said the “main goal, mission and dream” of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former PM and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, before and after coming into politics, were the unification of the country.
Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former Prime Minister and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Saturday was elected the honorary Chair of the GD party at the congress meeting of the ruling party.
Georgia’s foreign office on Thursday said Anne Toft Sørensen, the Danish Ambassador to the country, had explained that her article, in which the latter mentioned Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former PM and the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, as an “oligarch”, intended to express her country’s support for Georgia’s European integration and stressed “it is unfortunate that opponents used it in a negative context”.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday said it was “sad and regrettable” that “incompetence of diplomats” was “damaging” the image of the countries they represented among the Georgian public, after comments by Anne Toft Sørensen, the Danish Ambassador, about Bidzina Ivanishvili, the former Prime Minister and the founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party, in media caused controversy earlier during the week.