Germany’s Ambassador to Georgia, Peter Fischer, says Georgia is the only country in his 40-year diplomatic career where he has witnessed what he describes as a “regression” — a country that had been moving toward the European Union but, over the past year and a half, has taken the opposite direction.
Fischer, who is set to conclude his diplomatic mission in Georgia soon, spoke about the issue in a wide-ranging interview with the Georgian outlet Batumelebi.
Ambassador claimed that during the first years of his tenure in Georgia, he maintained close and cooperative relations with the country’s authorities. However, he says the situation changed in early 2024.
Fischer recalled celebrating Georgia’s EU candidate status in December 2023 alongside Georgian officials in Tbilisi’s Freedom Square.
“I remember leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party patting me on the back and saying: ‘We did it! Candidate status!’” Fischer said.
However, he claimed, within a few months, the situation changed significantly, with what he described as increasingly hostile rhetoric toward the West, the European Union and Germany, followed by the adoption of legislation he believes is incompatible with EU standards.
The ambassador also pointed to what he described as a growing “atmosphere of intimidation,” increased pressure on civil society and more frequent human rights violations.
“This is not a personal conflict,” Fischer said, rejecting claims by representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream party that his stance reflects personal views.
“I am a professional diplomat. I represent the position of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany,” he said.
Fischer claimed that narratives about a so-called “global war party,” the “deep state” and “liberal fascism” are conspiracy theories used by the authorities to support their policies.
“I have worked in the German government for 40 years and have never seen any ‘deep state’,” the ambassador said.
Fischer also suggested that criticism directed at him serves as a warning to other diplomats, though he added that critically minded citizens in Georgia face much greater challenges.
Header image: German Amb. Peter Fischer; Source: screengrab from the Movement’s interview with Amb. Fischer
