Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia expresses its deep concern over the decision of the Ukrainian authorities to demand that the Georgian ambassador leaves the country for consultations in Georgia. This action represents an extreme form of escalation in diplomatic relations, and it is regrettable that Kyiv is taking this step against the friendly State and people.

What the Ukrainian authorities cited as the reason behind the decision makes it particularly difficult to comprehend.  The decision of the Strasbourg court put an end to the speculations around the health condition of the convict Mikheil Saakashvili and once again confirmed that Georgia is committed to the highest standards of protection of Mikheil Saakashvili’s rights.  Against the  background of such developments, the decision of the Ukrainian authorities inflicts a heavy damage on the strategic relations between the two countries and represents a direct interference in the domestic affairs of the sovereign state.

We reserve the hope that Kyiv will reverse its decision and will direct its efforts towards  further developing the historically friendly relations between the two countries.

We would like to emphasize once again that Georgia's support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and for the Ukrainian people is unwavering. Since the outbreak of the war, Georgia has been providing political and humanitarian support to Ukraine both bilaterally and in various international formats.

It also needs to be highlighted that Georgia’s  diplomatic representation to Ukraine has not stopped  functioning even in the most difficult moments during Russia's ongoing military aggression.

The official position of Tbilisi was conveyed to the Ukrainian side by Georgia's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Giorgi Zakarashvili  during his meeting held today at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in Kyiv.

We would also like to note that Georgia will further continue to express solidarity with and support for Ukraine - the country being at war. Precisely because Ukraine is going through the active phase of the war, and Georgia is aware of its great responsibility for international relations and especially towards its partners, we refrain at this stage from any kind of further reaction to the steps taken by Ukraine, as well as from causing any further tension in bilateral relations that would bring the already difficult situation to a deadlock.