Speaker: Peter Fischer gleefully informed us that evidence supposedly existed regarding sanction circumvention by Kulevi Terminal

“Beyond revealing how delighted he is when something bad happens to Georgia, German Ambassador Peter Fischer has made a second error, claiming that evidence had been presented in connection with the Kulevi Terminal,” Georgia’s Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has stated.

Papuashvili was asked to comment on a statement by German Ambassador to Georgia, Peter Fischer, in which he said: “I stand by my statement that Kulevi was included in the EU proposal and an evidence package was presented.”

“That statement is like throwing punches after the fight is already over. He made an error when he imagined himself to be the EU Ambassador and began speaking about the twentieth sanctions package. The EU has its own Ambassador; it does not need the German or any other country’s ambassador to come to its assistance. The German Ambassador is taking it upon himself to speak and substitute for the EU Ambassador. I do not know whether he thinks he has more to say than Herczyński. If Herczyński had anything to say, he was perfectly capable of saying it and articulating it; he would have said everything.

The German Ambassador made an error. He made an error because he was pleased. In Fischer’s statement at the time, we read the joy — ‘look, Georgians, see what is going to happen to your port.’ Beyond exposing his malicious glee and how pleased he is when something adverse happens to Georgia, he also made a second mistake by claiming that evidence had been presented.

Has he himself actually seen this evidence? Of course, he has not seen any evidence, because it does not exist. At the time, the EU Ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, and evidence was demanded. Not a single piece of evidence was presented to show that Georgia had violated any sanction. Not one shred of evidence exists that any sanctions violation occurred on Georgian territory. As a result, the Kulevi Terminal was removed from the draft package, and we received a confirmation letter from the coordinator.

Now, instead of apologising for gleefully informing us that evidence supposedly existed, Peter Fischer is trying to pick a fight from the other side. In doing so, he fed the propaganda media yet another opportunity to make Georgia the target of attack once again. In the end, nothing was proven. I rather think Peter Fischer imagines himself to be the British Ambassador as well when he talks about sanctions. Let me remind everyone that this pressure is coming from Britain; otherwise, Germany should make its own decisions. Why is Peter Fischer speaking on behalf of the British Ambassador, and why is he applying hostile labels to the free media? His malicious glee is evident here, too, but the contemptuous substance of his statements is directed at the free media and at that part of society which does not suit his taste. It would appear that attaching such labels has become something of a habit. I would urge Peter Fischer, this is not the behaviour expected of a German representative, to label and stigmatise individuals,” said Papuashvili.