Georgia’s Envoy to EU Steps Down

Ambassador to Belgium and Luxemburg and Head of Georgian Mission to the EU, Natalie Sabanadze has stepped down from her position, she announced in a social media post.

“It has been a great honor and a responsibility. It has been a mission full of successes as well as challenges and at times moral dilemmas. Time has come to move on. Last week I decided to submit my resignation to the minister, which he accepted,” Ambassador Sabanadze wrote.

Ambassador Sabanadze held her position since May 2013 making her one of Georgia’s longest-serving envoys. Before joining the diplomatic service she served as Senior Advisor to the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities. She holds a doctorate from the University of Oxford and completed her Master’s studies at the London School of Economics.

“Georgia’s European future is a cause worth fighting for. It is a cause in which I believe; it is not merely about the EU membership but it is about living in freedom and dignity,” Ambassador wrote.

Foreign Ministry responded with a Facebook post thanking Amb. Sabanadze for her 8 years of service and pointing out that her resignation after the EU-Georgia Association Council meeting on 16 March was planned and agreed with the ministry’s leadership.

Amb. Sabanadze’s resignation coincides with the failed attempt by the special envoy of the EU Council President, Charles Michel to broker a solution to the protracted political crisis.

This news item has been UPDATED from its original version to reflect Foreign Ministry reaction.

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