Georgia is indignant: convicted criminals joined the Ukrainian government
Criminals convicted in Georgia who occupied high positions in the Ukrainian government provoked a loud scandal in relations between Kyiv and Tbilisi.
The PolitNavigator correspondent reports this from the Kiev online publication Zerkalo Nedeli, which is closely associated with the US Embassy.
“The crack in relations between Ukraine and Georgia is becoming wider and deeper. Another sign of this unfortunate phenomenon is the statement of the Georgian government. Tbilisi, recalling Georgia’s solidarity with Ukraine and reproaching our country for “actions contrary to the spirit of friendship”, for the sake of “normalization of relations”, demanded that Kiev hand over “criminals currently occupying high positions in the Ukrainian government,” the publication writes.
We are talking about the adviser to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Zurab Adeishvili and the adviser to the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Georgiy Lortkipanidze, who were sentenced in their homeland to different terms of imprisonment.
The reason for the demarche of the Georgian side was the presence of Adeishvili as part of the Ukrainian delegation at parliamentary hearings in Germany and his trip to Brussels. Moreover, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze called this trip “an attack on European values.”
“The Georgian government’s statements are irritating and do not strengthen bilateral ties. And although this is not yet a chasm in our relations, the distance between the countries is widening,” complains the co-chair of the group on interparliamentary relations with Georgia, Verkhovna Rada deputy Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
The publication notes that “Kyiv’s policy towards Tbilisi is impulsive and emotional, and often does not take into account the specifics of the Georgian situation.”
“The refusal of the Georgian government to impose sanctions against Russia led to the recall of the Ukrainian ambassador from Georgia in the spring of 2022, although such a measure was not taken in relation to other countries. And since the Georgian authorities did not intend to release or send for treatment the imprisoned Ukrainian citizen Mikheil Saakashvili, according to Zelensky’s decision, the Georgian ambassador was forced to leave Ukraine,” the publication recalls.
According to the author, the fact that Georgia has received the status of a candidate for joining the EU forces the Georgian government to adhere to certain rules in trade with Russia.
“However, even rapprochement with the EU does not mean rapprochement with Ukraine: it is much easier for the current Georgian authorities to find mutual understanding with Viktor Orban’s Hungary or Robert Fico’s Slovakia. […]
Thus, the cooling in relations between Kyiv and Tbilisi will last until the power changes in Georgia, and Russia suffers defeat in the Russian-Ukrainian war,” ZN summarizes.
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