Kaladze Extends ‘Condolences’ as Saarbrücken Breaks Off Contacts with Partner City Tbilisi
Tbilisi Mayor and Georgian Dream Secretary General Kakha Kaladze extended “condolences” to the German people following reports that the western German city of Saarbrücken is expected to break off “all contacts” with the Georgian capital after more than fifty years of a twinning partnership.
The friendship agreement between Saarbrücken and Tbilisi dates back to 1975 and marked the first official town twinning between a West German town and a city in the Soviet Union. According to the May 18 article by German Saarbrücker Zeitung, a draft resolution from the office of Mayor Uwe Conradt was submitted to the city council, with a decision to suspend “all contacts” with Tbilisi expected on May 21.
In its report, Saarbrücker Zeitung, citing the draft resolution, speaks about the concerns over the political situation in Georgia, including democratic backsliding, a crackdown on dissent, minority groups, civil society and media, and argues that Georgia is drifting toward a “one-party state, police state and dictatorship.” It also cites reduced cooperation between the German government and Georgian authorities, as well as the suspension of projects.
The article further emphasizes Kakha Kaladze’s position, saying, “What further complicates matters for Saarbrücken is that the mayor of Tbilisi – where roughly one third of Georgia’s population lives – is not only a member of the ‘Georgian Dream’ party but also its secretary general. Kakha Kaladze therefore supports and shares responsibility for the entire development.”
The article notes that in 2025, when the 50th anniversary of the partnership was supposed to be celebrated, a planned official ceremony was cancelled, and only a meeting with representatives of Georgian civil society took place. “This was effectively equivalent to excluding Kaladze from the event. Since then, there have reportedly been no official contacts,” the outlet wrote, noting that with the new move, the partnership between the two cities remains in place, while “all official contacts” are to be frozen.
Kaladze responded to the report in a May 19 Facebook post, a “letter of condolence to the German people.” In it, he wrote, among others, “Despite the long-standing friendship and mutual respect between the peoples of Georgia and Germany, unfortunately, due to decisions of the German bureaucracy, which is obedient to the “deep state,” even this historic friendship has become a subject of political speculation.”
The Saarbrücken proposal comes amid strained relations between Tbilisi and Berlin, marked by Georgian Dream authorities’ continuing accusations against German Ambassador Peter Fischer, whom they accuse of interfering in the country’s domestic affairs.
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- 05/05/2025 – European Commission Urges GD to End Violence, Engage in Dialogue with Political Actors
- 26/02/2025 – German Education Ministry Halts Expansion of Scientific Cooperation with Georgia
- 04/12/2024 – Germany Suspends Development Cooperation with Georgia over Democracy Concerns and U-Turn on EU Path