Somebody trying to spoil Georgia-Ukraine ties, this time “not Russia” – Parliament speaker


Author
Front News Georgia
Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian parliament speaker, on Wednesday claimed “somebody is trying to spoil Georgia-Ukraine ties”, adding “this time it is not Russia”, in comments on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest allegations Tbilisi was “killing” Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia and a citizen of Ukraine, “at the hands of the Georgian government”, summoning Georgian ambassador to send back to Tbilisi for talks over the former president’s extradition.
Papuashvili claimed Kyiv’s move, labeled as “very concerning” for bilateral ties by Tbilisi, had been welcomed by certain domestic and foreign forces, who he said were falsely portraying themselves as supporters of Georgia and Ukraine, adding this time it was not the Kremlin behind the attempts to spoil ties between the two states.
Papuashvili also said by the statement Zelenskyy “questioned” the May ruling by the European Court of Human rights, which dismissed Saakashvili’s claims on ill-treatment while in custody and rejected his transfer not only abroad, but also into another clinic inside the country.
The official said if Ukraine questioned the decisions of the ECHR or other international institutions, it would face problems in its legal fight against Russia for its ongoing aggression.
Zelenskyy’s tweet on Monday came following a trial hearing in Tbilisi over the rally dispersal in Tbilisi in 2007 under Saakashvili’s presidency, with the convicted former president joining the session online.
Pointing to his body, Saakashvili accused the Georgian government – which for its part blames the former president for self-harm to “escape justice” – of “bringing me to this [poor] condition”.
Along with the summoning of the Georgian ambassador, Zelenskyy also requested the partners “not to allow” Saakashvili’s death.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the head of the ruling party, called Zelenskyy’s allegations “insulting” on the backdrop of the ECHR ruling, and said Kyiv’s attitude to Georgian ambassador Giorgi Zakarashvili, who refused to leave Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, was “regrettable and unfortunate”.
Saakashvili, who chaired the executive committee of the Ukrainian national reforms council, was arrested in October 2021 on his clandestine return after eight years, with Georgian Dream authorities claiming an unspecified “global war party, with the help of the domestic war party, the United National Movement”, sent him to Georgia to stage a coup and drag Georgia into the forthcoming Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Saakashvili is now serving his six-year-term for abuse of power while in office. Three other cases involving him are pending.
Tags:
Shalva Papuashvili