On October 23, during the show Imedi LIVE, Georgian Dream Executive Secretary Mamuka Mdinaradze expressed doubts about the authenticity of a statement by ministers from 13 EU countries titled “The European Future of Georgia – it’s in Your Hands.”
Mdinaradze [25:04]: “This could be a serious scandal. […] There’s something unusual here; I don’t know exactly, but I’ll tell you what I know at this stage. The statement by these 13 countries or ambassadors cannot be found anywhere. It doesn’t exist anywhere. We’re trying to find out which agency published it first, as far as we know. Who sent it, what statement [was sent], what happened. It’s not on the EU site, or on any embassy site – the embassies, if I’m not mistaken, of France and Germany in Georgia – not even their foreign ministries, no department has posted this statement, and two embassies out of these 13 only have an IPN link to it, from what I know and gathered today. There’s no source for it at all. What’s going on? I don’t know; let’s figure it out together. […] Why did this happen so quickly, in a short time frame? Two to three days are left, so who will have time to investigate, and let’s just throw this statement in.”
Mdinaradze’s comments were widely circulated by various media outlets (1,2,3).
Mamuka Mdinaradze manipulates the fact that the statement was first published on Interpressnews, creating the impression that the European ministers’ letter may be fake. However, in a comment to Myth Detector, the letter’s authenticity was confirmed by Lithuania’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (European Affairs), Simonas Šatūnas. Additionally, Interpressnews confirmed to Myth Detector that the German Embassy provided the letter for publication. Several official institutions and high-ranking officials shared the statement on social media.
The letter from ministers of European affairs from 13 EU member states, titled “The European Future of Georgia – it’s in Your Hands,” was published on Interpressnews on October 21 in both Georgian and English languages. The letter criticizes the Georgian government, stating that its chosen path does not align with European values. It mentions that, in recent months, the Georgian government has passed several laws inconsistent with the EU’s common regulatory framework, particularly the law on the “Transparency of Foreign Influence.” Due to this decision, Georgia’s European integration process has stalled. The European ministers urge the Georgian government to ensure free and fair elections.
To verify the letter’s authenticity, Myth Detector reached out to one of the signatories, Lithuania’s Vice Foreign Minister for European Affairs, Simonas Šatūnas, as well as Interpressnews. Šatūnas confirmed the letter’s authenticity in a comment to Myth Detector. Interpressnews also stated that the German Embassy provided the letter in Georgian and English on October 21.
Moreover, the statement published by Interpressnews was shared by several official institutions. The letter is available on the official Facebook pages of the German, Estonian, and French embassies.
The statement was also shared on the official Facebook page of Latvia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which stated that Latvia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braže, joined her European colleagues’ stance, published by Interpressnews, indicating the letter was directly provided to the outlet. The post by Latvia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also shared by the Latvian Embassy in Georgia.
The letter published on Interpressnews was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the German Ambassador to Georgia, Peter Fischer. His post was retweeted by one of the letter’s signatories, Germany’s Minister of State for Europe, Federal Foreign Office, Anna Lührmann. Another signatory, Czech Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvořák, also shared the letter on X.
The joint statement was also discussed in an interview with French media by France’s Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Benjamin Haddad, and a Georgian translation of his comments was broadcast on Mtavari Channel on October 25.
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