“Pawel Herczyński’s statement is not merely a threat; regrettably, we can see that they have already moved to action,” said MP Tengiz Sharmanashvili, a member of the parliamentary majority, speaking to GPB First Channel.

According to Sharmanashvili, anyone familiar with the conduct of EU Ambassador Pawel Herczyński will understand that, as a rule, an ambassador does not make statements of this kind on his own initiative.

“Regrettably, we can see that they have moved to action. This is not simply a threat. The recent activities of Blažević and the financing of destructive acts make plain that they are following a revolutionary script, and we are not talking merely about peaceful unrest, but about civil war. I wish to counsel both them and our own citizens: if anyone is entertaining the notion of going along with this escapade, let them not even dream of it, for the consequences will be grave for all who become entangled in it.

Anyone who knows how the Ambassador operates will understand that, as a rule, he does not make such statements on his own initiative. What would be the point of taking steps under the Vienna Convention? They would send us a new, more motivated diplomat. We must defend our sovereignty with resolve, and we shall do so,” said Tengiz Sharmanashvili.

For context: several Georgian media outlets have reported remarks made by EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczyński at an event held in Brussels at the European External Action Service, in which he stated: “Georgia stands at a crossroads. Georgia’s future has not yet been written, but what is decided in the coming weeks and months will determine whether Georgia belongs to the family of European nations founded on democracy, the rule of law and human rights, or whether, regrettably, it returns to its dark past.” Herczyński further remarked: “We must not allow Georgia and the wonderful, warm, hospitable Georgian people to return to the dark days of violence, civil war, poverty, hardship, and corruption.”