Georgia’s authorities have applied to President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko with a written request over Odessa Governor Mikheil Saakashvili’s calls for revolution in Georgia.
In an official letter, Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili ‘expresses concern’ that Saakashvili’s ‘known talks’ with his supporters in Georgia – former secretary of the National Security Council Giga Bokeria and director general of Rustavi -2 TV Nika Gvaramia ‘contain direct calls for anti-state actions and threaten the security and stability in Georgia.’
All this runs contrary to the friendly relations of the two countries, the Georgian prime minister says in the letter.
Justice Minister of Georgia Tea Tsulukiani, in turn, calls on President Poroshenko to respond to Prime Minister Garibashvili’s message. “A citizen of Ukraine cannot occupy a high post in Georgia and make anti-Ukrainian statement. It is beyond one’s imagination. President of Ukraine and the authorities must respond to this,” she said.
President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili called it “inadmissible for a high ranking official of another state to interfere with the internal affairs of Georgia.” Defense Minister Tinatin Khidaisheli demands explanations from Kiev.
Georgian diplomacy assesses Saahkashvili’s calls as “interference with the internal affairs of Georgia.” Friday, Foreign Minister of Georgia handed over a note of protest to Charge d’Affairs a. i. of Ukraine in Georgia over Saakashvili’s calls for revolution. Georgia’s Ambassador to Ukraine submitted a similar note to the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine.
Justice Ministry of Georgia has launched the procedures of Saakashvili’s denaturalization. Minister Tea Tsulikiani said they received an official note from Kiev saying that ex-president of Georgia has Ukrainian citizenship.
EADaily reported earlier that Georgian mass media published audio reports of Mikheil Saakashvili’s talks with his supporters in Georgia calling them for ‘revolution,’ ‘barricades,’ and ‘fire.’
In motherland, Saakashvili is charged with four articles of the Criminal Code and may face 11 years in prison. Despite this, the ex-president of Georgia repeatedly says he will return to power in Georgia. Kiev has already refused to transfer him to Tbilisi, calling the proceedings against him in Georgia ‘politically motivated.’
