The projection of the Queen Ketevan fresco onto the embassy building by the Iranian ambassador is an act of manipulation and a provocation of Georgian national sentiment; Georgian Dream has turned the country into Bidzina’s vegetable patch—a place that, unfortunately, everyone views as having a "low fence." This statement was made by Grigol Gegelia, Foreign Affairs Secretary of Lelo – Strong Georgia, in response to the Iranian ambassador's actions.

According to him, this is the result of the "diminishing of Georgian sovereignty and the weakening of our country's international standing." It is deeply regrettable and alarming to see the continuation of this trend, where the Iranian ambassador is—for the second time now—playing on Georgian national sentiments and, I would say, provoking reactions through highly sensitive topics. We recall the threats he voiced regarding missile proximity, and now we see the invocation of Saint Queen Ketevan. His decision to project an image of Queen Ketevan onto the embassy building—given that this historical figure is not associated with pro-Iranian sentiments and certainly does not exemplify friendly, constructive relations between Iran and Georgia—is inappropriate. Consequently, manipulating such a subject serves to provoke Georgian national sentiment, and I find it very disheartening that the ambassador is doing this for at least the second time. All of this clearly demonstrates that Georgian Dream has turned the country into Bidzina’s private garden—a place that, unfortunately, everyone views as a "low fence" [an easy target to step over]. This is the reality and the result of the erosion of Georgian sovereignty and the weakening of our country’s international standing, where every other neighbor dares to use such language and tone, to emotionally manipulate the public through topics that represent significant national issues for us," said Gegelia.

For context, the Iranian ambassador to Georgia issued a statement announcing that he will soon share the results of his preliminary research with the public—research concerning Queen Ketevan, as well as documents and historical sources preserved in both Iran and Georgia.

“An Image of Queen Ketevan on the Facade of the Iranian Embassy in Tbilisi

This evening in Tbilisi, the facade of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran was illuminated with a beautiful, sacred image of Queen Ketevan.

For me, this image represents more than just the memory of a historical figure; it symbolizes a shared historical memory—one surrounding which numerous, often differing, narratives exist to this day.

I will soon share with the readers of this page the results of my preliminary research concerning Queen Ketevan, as well as the documents and historical sources preserved in both Iran and Georgia.

The material presented here will neither be an official version nor a claim to have said the final word on Ketevan; rather, it represents a historian’s personal perspective and assessment at this stage of the research. Naturally, this assessment should be supplemented, analyzed, critically reviewed, or revised in the future, based on additional sources and collaborative research by Georgian and Iranian scholars.

Perhaps re-examining such stories serves not merely as a return to the past, but as a way to get to know one another better and more deeply today," writes the ambassador.