The man under whose watch the visible destruction and dismantling of Georgian foreign policy began has been sent to an important European capital. This is how Grigol Gegelia, one of the leaders of “Lelo – Strong Georgia,” responded to the appointment of former Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili as Georgia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom.

According to Gegelia, Ilia Darchiashvili’s appointment as ambassador to the UK represents a further weakening of “Georgian Dream’s” international positions.

“The appointment of Ilia Darchiashvili as Georgia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom is a very clear message that the man under whose leadership the most visible destruction and dismantling of Georgian foreign policy began has now been sent to one of the most important and politically significant European capitals – a city with which ‘Georgian Dream’ supposedly wants to ‘reset’ relations.

Darchiashvili’s posting there is a clear signal that the anti-Europeanism he embodied as Foreign Minister continues to exist, represents the regime’s unconditional and unwavering course, and that this same course will be promoted in London on behalf of Georgia’s de facto regime.

This is yet another weakening of ‘Georgian Dream’s’ international positions and yet another acknowledgment that the policy embodied by Darchiashvili, which was continued and cemented by Bochorishvili, is in reality ‘Georgian Dream’s’ anti-European and anti-national foreign policy course,” Gegelia stated.

The opposition politician also commented on the phone call made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. He noted that “Georgian Dream” is trying to present this conversation as a “reset” of relations.

“Of course, ‘Georgian Dream’ is trying to portray the phone call with the Secretary of State as a reset of relations, but the reality is what we already know – both from the State Department’s post, which made no mention of any reset, and from numerous previous statements by the State Department and the Embassy. The United States clearly states that if ‘Georgian Dream’ wants to normalize relations, the regime must take concrete steps in specific directions. Otherwise, there will be no reset or normalization.

Therefore, instead of ‘Georgian Dream-style’ nonsense, I would advise this regime to take concrete steps in the directions that they know very well from the U.S. side, and to do everything possible to de-escalate the situation,” Gegelia said.