How the Georgian government is purging the civil service to appease Russia
The internal structure of the Georgian state is undergoing sweeping changes under the current government of Georgian Dream. This is just another part of Tbilisi's attempts to challenge the country’s institutional ties to the West.
For more than three decades, Georgia’s public service has stood as one of the most resilient pillars of its democratic transition and Euro-Atlantic ambitions.
Read more about how the Georgian authorities are undermining the civil service and what consequences this may have in the column by former Georgian diplomat Megi Benia: Europe is no longer needed: how Georgia is destroying its institutional ties with the West.
The column was originally published on New Eastern Europe as part of a journalistic partnership with MOST – Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism, supported by the Creative Europe programme, which helps independent media specialising in international affairs reporting.
The author argues that the recent purges and so-called "reorganization" of Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Ministry of Defence (MOD) are not administrative updates or efficiency improvements.
"They are part of a systematic campaign to punish loyalty to constitutional principles and sever the state’s institutional commitment to the West," writes the former diplomat.
She recalls how generations of civil servants, despite changes in political leadership, have worked tirelessly to advance Georgia’s NATO and EU integration, build strategic alliances, and enhance national security. Today, that pillar is being deliberately dismantled.
In the process, the ruling Georgian Dream party, the columnist notes, is hollowing out the very public service that has safeguarded the country’s sovereignty and global standing.
"The result is a catastrophic loss of institutional memory, professionalism, and policy continuity at a time when the international security environment demands the exact opposite," Benia observes.
She emphasises that it is a deliberate campaign to politicise state institutions and reroute the strategic direction of the country.
"The firing of experienced diplomats and defence professionals, the closure of the units focusing on the EU and NATO, and the centralisation of foreign policy under ideologically loyal but professionally unqualified hands are all part of a broader trend," the former diplomat stresses.
According to her, Georgia is being manoeuvred into geopolitical isolation by a government that no longer sees value in partnership with the democratic West.
Benia is confident that this is an ongoing Russian influence operation in Georgia, which, if successful, will strengthen Moscow’s power projection across the wider Black Sea and the Middle East.
The columnist warns that if left unaddressed, these trends will leave Georgia diplomatically marginalised, strategically vulnerable and morally adrift.
"Its future in the European and Euro-Atlantic community will remain not just delayed, but dangerously imperilled," the former diplomat concludes.