MFA of Georgia: The decision of the Ukrainian authorities is an extreme form of escalation of diplomatic relations

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the decision of the Ukrainian authorities to make the Georgian ambassador leave the territory of Ukraine for consultation is “an extreme form of aggravation of diplomatic relations”.

According to the MFA, due to the fact that Ukraine is in the active phase of the war, the Georgian side realizes its great responsibility and “at this stage refrains from any additional reaction to the steps taken by Ukraine and further aggravation of bilateral relations with it”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hopes that Kyiv will reconsider its decision.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia expresses deep concern over the decision of the Ukrainian authorities to make the Georgian ambassador leave the territory of the country for the purpose of consultation. This action represents an extreme form of escalation of diplomatic relations, and it is unfortunate that Kyiv is taking this step against a friendly state and people. The reason given by the Ukrainian authorities makes this decision particularly incomprehensible.

The decision of the Strasbourg court put an end to the speculations about the health condition of the convicted Mikheil Saakashvili, which once again confirmed the highest standards of protection of Mikheil Saakashvili’s rights by the state. Against the background of such developments, the decision of the Ukrainian authorities significantly harms the strategic relations of the two countries and represents a direct interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state.

We hope that Kyiv will reconsider its decision and make efforts to further develop 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 the Ukrainian people is unwavering. Since the beginning of the war, Georgia has been providing political and humanitarian support to Ukraine both at the bilateral level and in various international formats.

It is also significant that in the conditions of Russian military aggression, even in the most difficult moments, the diplomatic representation of Georgia in Ukraine did not stop functioning.

Georgia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Giorgi Zakarashvili, also conveyed the position of Tbilisi to the Ukrainian side during the meeting held today in Kyiv at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

Here we would like to note that Georgia will continue to express solidarity and support for Ukraine, which is at war, in the future. Precisely because Ukraine is in the active phase of the war, the Georgian side, aware of its great responsibility in terms of international relations and especially towards its partners, at this stage refrains from any kind of additional reaction in response to the steps taken by Ukraine and further aggravation of bilateral relations with it, which will bring the already difficult situation to a dead end,” the statement reads.