Zelensky sees Tbilisi's reaction to Saakashvili's appointment as mistake

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine maintains excellent relations with Georgia, but considers Tbilisi's reaction to Mikheil Saakashvili's appointment as chairman of the executive committee of the National Reform Council to be a mistake.

He stated this at a briefing broadcast by the Nash television channel in the Luhansk region on Friday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"I can say that we have excellent relations with Georgia, with the Georgian people. Against all the odds, we will not summon our ambassador to Ukraine for any consultations because relations between our countries are longer than any leadership of any country. I think it is a mistake of the Georgian side. It seems to me that after consultations all parties will understand that in each state the personnel policy concerns only that state and citizens who live in this state," Zelensky said.

He said that Saakashvili's appointment was a decision of the Ukrainian state leadership.

"Mr. Saakashvili is a citizen of Ukraine, he has a Ukrainian passport, and I am the president of Ukraine who appointed him chairman of the executive committee of the Reform Council under the president of Ukraine. That's all," Zelensky said.

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said on May 8 that Georgia's government had decided to summon Georgian Ambassador to Ukraine Teimuraz Sharashenidze for consultations in Tbilisi after Saakashvili's appointment as chairman of the Executive Committee on Reforms.

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