Chairman of Georgian Dream Irakli Kobakhidze called yesterday’s decision by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to ask the Georgian ambassador to leave Kyiv and return to Tbilisi to hold consultations on the issue of Mikheil Saakashvili, insulting.
News
Trending stories
- 1 Marauding Kadyrovites Among Masked Raiders in Tbilisi - Editor's Column
- 2 Presidential Candidate Mikheil Kavelashvili Lacks Higher Education
- 3 Fischer: Heidelberg Cement Exits Georgian Market, One of Germany's Largest Investments
- 4 Putin Expresses Surprise at Georgian Authorities' Courage
- 5 Online Journalists Banned from Parliament Indefinitely
- 6 12 Found Dead in Bedroom of Indian Restaurant in Gudauri
“I don't want to go deep into this topic for the simple reason that it concerns the president of a country that is in a state of war, but in general, this position of the government is offensive to us. It was also insulting that, as our opponents admitted themselves, certain high-ranking officials of the Ukrainian government were involved in sneaking Saakashvili into Georgia, and today, when the same government demands Saakashvili's return to Ukraine, this, of course, is a bit insulting. However, I don't want to go deeper into this.
Our wish is to remain in at least a one-sided friendship with the Ukrainian government because this country is currently in a state of war,” said Kobakhidze.
The third president of Georgia, currently imprisoned Mikheil Saakashvili, appeared at his trial today for the first time since February. He joined the session of the Tbilisi City Court on the so-called “November 7th Case” remotely from the Vivamed clinic. His health condition is critical.
By the end of the day, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is killing Ukrainian citizen Mikheil Saakashvili at the hands of the Georgian government and instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon the Georgian ambassador to Ukraine, expressing a strong objection, and ask him to leave Ukraine within 48 hours to hold consultations in Tbilisi.
“We have repeatedly called on official Tbilisi to stop this harassment and agree to Saakashvili's return to Ukraine. Our partners, in coordination with Ukraine, came up with a number of solutions. I call on our partners not to ignore this situation, resolve it, and save this person. No government in Europe has the right to execute a person, life is a basic European value,” Zelensky wrote.
Saakashvili was arrested on October 1, 2021, on the eve of local self-government elections in Tbilisi. He has been found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison for the cases of beating Member of Parliament Valery Gelashvili and pardoning the employees of the Constitutional Security Department convicted for the murder of Sandro Girgvliani. Saakashvili is also charged with illegal crossing of the border, the Imedi TV case, raiding of the November 7 protest rally, illegally appropriating Patarkatsishvili's property, and embezzlement of 9,024,367 GEL belonging to the Special State Protection Service. The third president of Georgia is not admitting guilt and maintains that he is being politically persecuted and is Putin's personal hostage.
