German Embassy Urges Papuashvili to 'Check the Facts' Following Independence Day Remarks
By Messenger Staff
Thursday, May 28, 2026
The German Embassy in Georgia has issued a firm response to critical remarks made by Georgian Dream-led Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, calling on him to check the facts and labeling alternative claims as disinformation.
The diplomatic row follows a public statement by Papuashvili concerning German Ambassador Peter Fischer's absence from Georgia's May 26 Independence Day celebrations. Papuashvili claimed that invitations were sent to everyone but suggested that the Ambassador likely lacked the desire to attend.
Referring to Ambassador Fischer, Papuashvili made highly critical remarks, saying the ambassador "takes oaths of hate squads" and has "placed himself closer to hate squads than to the Georgian army."
"Of course, invitations would have been sent to everyone. I think he himself would not have wanted to attend, because yesterday we stood there with the Georgian army and listened to the oath of the Georgian military. The whole society received the oath of the Georgian armed forces from the conscripts, while Mr. Peter usually takes oaths of hate squads. He is the only person in Georgia who encourages, supports, and justifies hatred, hate speech, and violence," Papuashvili said.
He further added that the ambassador "likely saw his place among hate squads rather than with the Georgian army."
"I am not the organizer, but I assume that of course invitations were sent to everyone," he concluded.
In a written response sent to InterpressNews, the German Embassy pushed back against the rhetoric, pointing to Germany's long-standing institutional support for the country.
"The German Embassy does not participate in all domestic discussions in Georgia. As for the statement by the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Shalva Papuashvili, we recommend checking the facts," the statement read. "And the facts are that for decades the Federal Republic of Germany has been a major and leading supporter of the Georgian Defense Forces."
The Embassy added that this track record "can easily be verified with the Ministry of Defense of Georgia or with the Minister of Defense of Georgia," concluding that "everything else is disinformation!"
