Parliament official denounces “interference in internal affairs” of Georgia from Ukrainian MP

Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, on Monday condemned comments by David Arakhamia, a member of the ruling People's Servant party in the Ukrainian Rada, on Georgia’s domestic politics as a “violation and interference in the internal affairs” of the country.

Samkharadze’s reaction followed a comment by Arakhamia, a politician of Georgian descent, who on Sunday told the Georgian-based Mtavari Arkhi channel he was “sure” the ruling Georgian Dream party Government would no longer be in power after the 2024 Parliamentary elections.

The remark came after a series of spats between Arakhamia and some other Ukrainian officials on the one hand, and Georgian Government officials on the other, on the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine and accusations of a lack of support from Georgia to Ukraine.

In his response, Samkharadze said the Georgian Government was elected by the country’s citizens, who he noted had elected Georgian Dream in the past nine votes in the country.

I think Arakhamia has wrong ideas about the Georgian people. Talking about the elections on his part is a violation and interference in the internal affairs of Georgia. While Ukraine is involved in a very severe war and is repelling Russian military aggression, we will try to refrain from criticising Ukrainian Government officials”, he added.