Prime Minister of Georgia addresses Ukraine
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Monday, December 29
Prime Minister of Georgia IrakliGharibashvili believes Georgian involvement in the developments in Ukraine is expressed only in humanitarian assistance and political support and no other type of support should be provided.
“Of course we express solidarity with the Ukrainian people. It is very hard for us to see what is happening in Ukraine. But our solidarity and assistance is expressed only in the form of humanitarian aid,” Gharibashvili stated at his press conference on December 26, where he summarized the past year.
According to Gharibashvili, theGeorgian government, similar to all European states and the whole world, is not engaging in military operations in Ukraine.
During the press conference Gharibashvili was asked if fighting on the Ukrainian side in the east of the country also serves Georgia’s interests and if it is a “Georgian deed”.
“Despite the fact that Georgians are fighting in Ukraine, I will tell you that we completely distance ourselves from it. We said it from the very beginning that we would provide only humanitarian aid to Ukraine and we did so,” stated Gharibashvili.
The Prime Minister also said that former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili asked Georgian soldiers to partake in the fight against Russia and his action was equal to betrayal.
“Saakashvili called on Georgian soldiers to leave the Georgian Army and fight for Ukraine for money. His action was equal to betrayal. What can be worse than a soldier leaving his own country’s army for a better salary? Of course if someone wants to fight for Ukraine, they are free to make this decision, but fighting for money is immoral,” stated Gharibashvili.
“We are distanced and our assistance is limited. Humanitarian aid and military assistance are two separate things,” stated Gharibashvili.
The Prime Minister also said that Georgian soldiers will only participate in military operations together with their Western partners, such as International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan and EU peace-keeping mission in the Central African Republic.
