Ambassador of Norway Helene Sand Andersen was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.
According to the agency, the meeting with the Ambassador was related to the Norwegian conservative party’s presentation of an award for the promotion of human rights to Mikheil Saakashvili and the comments made by the Norwegian ambassador.
“The Ambassador was presented the negative attitude of the Georgian side due to the mentioned fact, which is related to the violations of human rights and abuse of power by the authorities during the rule of Mikheil Saakashvili, for which Saakashvili and a number of representatives of his government have been convicted or have already served their sentences,” states the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The agency says that the mentioned step of the conservative party of Norway does not contribute to depolarization in Georgian society and is insulting to the citizens and their family members who were victims of the criminal acts committed during the rule of Saakashvili.
According to the Ministry, the Ambassador stated at the meeting that awarding Mikheil Saakashvili does not represent the position of the Norwegian government and is an initiative of a specific political party.
“At the meeting, the parties once again confirmed the existing friendly relations between Georgia and the Kingdom of Norway and expressed their readiness to promote the development of cooperation between the countries in the future,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili claimed earlier that handing over the Norwegian prize to Saakashvili is an insult to and mockery of the Georgian people.
As Garibashvili told journalists while commenting on the issue of the award given to Saakashvili in Norway, Saakashvili is the creator of a murderous regime.
He claimed that “handing over said prize to Saakashvili is the same as if a country awarded Breivik, who was convicted of murdering many people in Norway.”
