President of Georgia warns against Saakashvili's appointment to Ukrainian government

29.04.2020 14:24

Ukrinform

President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili warns that a possible appointment of Mikheil Saakashvili to a high-level post in the Government of Ukraine will create a decrease in trust between the two countries.

This is underscored in the statement by Zourabichvili, released on the website of the President of Georgia on April 28.

As noted, Georgia and Ukraine are close strategic partners whose cooperation is based on century-long friendship and mutual respect, common interests and aspirations. However, Zourabichvili noted, the very fact that the partner country has been considering for a high-level political appointment a candidate, who has been sentenced by all three levels of the Georgian Courts, has triggered legitimate concerns and a critical reaction of both from the Georgian authorities and the society.

“As the Head of the State, I fully measure, that in international relations interference in the domestic decisions of another state is not acceptable. However, the idea that a person, who has been found guilty under the Georgian justice system, mentioned in the sentence of the European Court of Human Rights and is currently prosecuted for corruption offences, could be envisaged to hold a high level public office in the Government of Ukraine, is both incomprehensible and unacceptable,” Zourabichvili stated.

The President of Georgia noted that the present situation was resented by all those, who care for the share destiny of our countries, the memory of the hardships we went through together and the future of the countries’ strategic friendship.

“I personally count myself among those and so does, I am sure, the largest part of our society. On the contrary, such an outcome could only satisfy those forces who think they could benefit from a widening gap in our friendship between Georgia and Ukraine,” she emphasized.

Finally, the President expressed her hope that “common state interests will prove more valuable and worth saving, than narrow political games and ambitions.”

As reported, MP from the Servant of the People Party faction Oleksandr Kachura said on April 22 that ex-president of Georgia and former chairman of the Odesa Regional State Administration Mikheil Saakashvili was being considered as a candidate for the post of the Vice Prime Minister for Reforms.

Saakashvili stated that President Volodymyr Zelensky had offered him the post.