Exclusive: German Foreign Office Says Ambassador Knirsch has “Full Support”

State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office, Miguel Berger told Civil.ge that Ambassador Hubert Knirsch has “full support” of the Federal Foreign Office in light of recent allegations in BILD report over the possible collusion.

“The allegation that his work might negatively be influenced by his wife’s work as a computer science lecturer is unfounded,” the State Secretary said, adding that the Ambassador’s spouse “exercising their profession in a legal, non-political job at normal market wages in no way constitutes grounds for allegations of corruption.”

“The employment of partners of seconded members of the Foreign Service at the respective postings abroad is an important concern of the Federal Foreign Office – in order to achieve a better work-family balance and also to enable the partners to have a career of their own,” he noted.

The State Secretary also told Civil.ge that the German Ambassador and the German Embassy in Georgia “maintain – as befits their task – good relations with the Georgian government, with the parties in the government and the opposition, and with non-governmental organizations.”

“Germany has longstanding close and friendly relations with Georgia,” State Secretary Berger continued, adding that “Germany will be a reliable partner for Georgia also under the new [coalition] government” of Social Democrats, the Greens and Free Democrats.

He also pointed out that “Germany’s continued strong support for the Eastern Partnership is explicitly mentioned among foreign policy priorities in the new coalition agreement.”

“As a key partner to German Development cooperation we supported Georgia’s reform efforts from the very beginning and will continue to do so,” State Secretary Berger concluded.

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