Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has criticized German Ambassador Peter Fischer’s visit to opposition leader Elene Khoshtaria during her hunger strike on Rustaveli Avenue.

In a social media statement, Papuashvili claimed the German envoy confirmed he did not advise Khoshtaria to end her hunger strike and visited solely to express empathy.

“If the ambassador sympathizes with Khoshtaria’s goal to force the opposition to boycott local elections through this act, it represents a diplomatic catastrophe,” Papuashvili wrote.

The Parliament Speaker questioned what exactly warranted the ambassador’s empathy – whether it was the hunger strike as a form of protest or the demands being made through this method.

“If he sympathizes with the form – when a person tries to coerce others by threatening self-harm – this is a moral catastrophe,” Papuashvili stated.

According to the Speaker, “Given his recent political activities, none of this is surprising,” Papuashvili added, referencing the Vienna Convention’s prohibition on diplomatic interference in domestic affairs.

“The Vienna Convention’s prohibition preventing diplomats from interfering in domestic affairs serves primarily to protect them from reckless and self-damaging behavior,” Papuashvili added.

The remark follows Ambassador Fischer’s visit to Rustaveli Avenue, where Droa party leader Elene Khoshtaria and former MP Gedevan Popkhadze are on a hunger strike in protest of the government’s policies.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​