Garibashvili urges Poroshenko to ‘get interested’ in released recordings

Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili has sent a letter to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko regarding the recently released phone conversations of Odessa Governor Mikheil Saakashvili, who was formerly the president of Georgia.

Garibashvili expressed concern about Saakashvili’s conversations with leader of the opposition United National Movement (UNM) party Giga Bokeria and director of private broadcasting TV company Rustavi 2 Nika Gvaramia, which contained "statements against Georgia’s current Government” as well as "concrete calls for anti-state and violent actions”.

The PM stressed such behaviors did not correspond with the spirit of the "friendly relations” existing between Georgia and Ukraine.

Garibashvili believed Saakashvili’s comments could threaten security and stability in Georgia, and the Georgian PM asked Poroshenko to become interested in this issue.

On October 29 a Ukrainian website published the phone conversations between Georgia’s ex-president Saakashvili with Bokeria and Gvaramia, in which Saakashvili encouraged a potential "revolution" scenario if the court ruled in favour of former Rustavi 2 owner Qibar Khalvashi concerning the ongoing legal dispute between current and ex-shareholders of the private broadcaster.

The controversial conversation contained the words "revolutionary scenario", "barricades", "defence forces", "fortifications", "militants", "foreign idiots" and other phrases including: "There must be beating and kicking and punching, and if they shoot, so be it,” and "All this will be ended by shooting finally”.

Bokeria and Gvaramia confirmed the authenticity of the October 19 phone conversations.