Tbilisi Mayor declines to comment on Ukrainian Ambassador recall, says government “will act in interests of country”

Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has refrained from commenting on the recall of the Ukrainian Ambassador to Georgia, adding the Georgian government would “always act in the interests of our country and our people” in its decisions.

Kaladze, who is also the General Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, was responding to the controversy around the recall of the Ambassador on Tuesday. President Volodymyr Zelensky cited the Georgian government's refusal to allow Georgian volunteers to take part in the conflict as the reason for the move.

In his comments on the subject, Kaladze said he “wishes peace to the Ukrainian people”, adding he would “make assessments [on political decisions] later.”

The GD General Secretary also spoke on the issue of the volunteers to Ukraine, stressing “[t]he interests of the [Georgian] state will always come first.”

Ruling party Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday called the ambassador's recall "unacceptable" and "unjustified" considering the measures taken by Georgia in its support of Ukraine over the recent days, pointing to the government's expression of solidarity to the country and “its position with effective steps” in all related areas.