Parliament Committee Chair slams “unsubstantiated” allegations of Ukrainian Presidential Office adviser

In his response, the Georgian Parliament official noted Podolyak’s rhetoric amounted to not just criticising the Georgian authorities, but also “making the most serious allegations”. Photo: Parliament of Georgia

Agenda.ge, 11 Aug 2022 - 15:03, Tbilisi,Georgia

Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights of the Georgian Parliament, on Thursday slammed Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Head of the Ukrainian President's Office, for making “unsubstantiated” allegations towards Georgian authorities.

Sarjveladze was commenting on Podolyak’s remarks, who on Wednesday said “Georgian officials should change their tone, and if they cannot do it for some reasons, then [they should] reduce their public statements regarding Ukraine”.

In his response, the Georgian Parliament official noted Podolyak’s rhetoric amounted to not just criticising the Georgian authorities, but also “making the most serious allegations”.

No-one, including a high-ranking official of a country at war, has the right to make unsubstantiated accusations in such a tone [...] If there is anyone who needs to be careful about the tone and content of their statements, it is Mr. Podolyak”, Sarjveladze said.

Sarjveladze stressed Ukrainian authorities should not be surprised with a “harsh response” to “baseless and irresponsible” allegations.

The comments follow claims by representatives of Ukrainian authorities since the start of the Russian invasion of the country, who have alleged the Georgian Government facilitating use of Georgia's territory by Russian individuals and entities for bypassing Western sanctions imposed on Russia due to the invasion. 

The claims by Ukrainian officials have not been accompanied by evidence of the violations, whereas their Georgian counterparts have rejected the claims in strong terms.