President Zurabishvili says she is ready to visit Ukraine ‘as soon as possible’ for ‘best interests’ of both states
President Salome Zurabishvili says that the statements made by former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili are affecting Georgian-Ukrainian relations. Photo: president’s press office.
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Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili says that she is ready to visit Ukraine ‘as soon as possible’ for the ‘best future interests’ of both countries, noting that the statements made by former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who currently chairs the executive committee of the Ukrainian National Reforms Council, are ‘affecting bilateral relations’.
We all know how important our partnership with Ukraine is, a country with which we share a common past and a common road to Euro-Atlantic integration. Any attempt to weaken this partnership at a time when the EU is to review the Eastern Partnership, the place of the associated members and their future when designing the whole general future of EU relation with its partners will only weaken our two countries, Georgia and Ukraine’s influence in this very decisive debate at a very important time,” Zurabishvili said at an event dedicated to Georgia’s fight against the coronavirus, organised by Geocase analytical organisation earlier today.
Zurabishvili said that the ‘provocative tone’ towards the Georgian government, ‘including characterising the government as illegitimate’, coming from Saakashvili (who is wanted by Georgian law enforcement agencies and is the citizen of Ukraine) ‘ is adversely affecting our bilateral relations’.
I personally am ready as soon as possible to carry out a visit that has been postponed for only too long, principally due Covid-19, but maybe not only, and try to restore our relations on a footing that corresponds to the traditional bond of friendship between our countries,’ Zurabishvili said, adding that such a relationship ‘is crucial to our common path towards EU and NATO, and also in view of the renewed importance of the Black Sea projects depending on a common approach of Georgia and Ukraine together with our European partners.’
Saakashvili took the post in Ukraine in May.