A post by the Iranian ambassador to Georgia sparked a diplomatic scandal

Iran’s Ambassador to Georgia Seyed Ali Moucani has sparked a diplomatic scandal with a post on his Facebook page.

The diplomat shared an image of Georgian Queen Ketevan projected onto the facade of the Iranian Embassy building and said that he would soon present the results of his preliminary research on this historical figure.

The ambassador’s action was met with strong discontent from members of the Georgian Parliament. Nikoloz Samkharadze, chairman of the Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee, advised the Iranian ambassador to remain within the bounds of diplomatic protocol and refrain from commenting on historical issues.

“I advise the ambassador not to delve deeply into historical excursions, because that is not his job. If he wants normal relations between the two countries to be maintained, he should refrain from such statements,” he added.

The committee chairman noted that the issue would be discussed with Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili.

Irakli Kadagishvili and Aluda Gudushauri, members of Parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream party, also said that the Iranian ambassador’s post went beyond his authority. The MPs stressed that the Georgian Foreign Ministry would definitely respond to the issue.