Saakashvili Demands his Georgian Citizenship Back, Says Current President is Coward
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, July 3
The Georgian former president Mikheil Saakashvili, who was deprived of his Georgian citizenship in 2015 as he received Ukrainian citizenship, is demanding his Georgian citizenship back and says that the current Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili is coward.
"Margvelashvili is a coward, because he has deprived me of Georgian citizenship,” Saakashvili said and called on Margvelashvili to restore his Georgian citizenship.
The Head of the President Administration Giorgi Abashishvili responded that Saakashvili’s statement was “inadequate.”
"We have heard the former President Saakashvili’s next inadequate statement. He knows it very well that the President Margvelashvili has not deprived him of his citizenship. He gave up the Georgian citizenship for the Ukrainian one. Moreover, he has not asked for restoration of the citizenship during the required period,” Abashishvili said.
“Saakashvili demanded restoration of citizenship using abusive language, and the response is appropriate – he can address with the similar tone and ask restoration of citizenship from those, who were or are afraid of him," said Abashishvili.
Saakashvili, who served as Georgia’s third president in 2004-2007 and in 2008-2013, is accused of violent dispersal of anti-government mass protests in Georgia on November 7, 2007; unlawful raiding of Imedi television company by riot police and illegal take-over of the property owned by late media tycoon Badri (Arkadi) Patarkatsishvili.
In 2014, Saakashvili was officially charged in Georgia; however, by the time his case went through court he was already in Ukraine.
On May 30, 2015 the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko appointed Saakashvili as the head of Ukraine’s Odessa region. At the same time he was also granted Ukrainian citizenship.
Receiving Ukrainian citizenship meant Saakashvili’s Georgian citizenship was automatically revoked , as Georgian legislation restricts dual citizenship.
Saakashvili is no longer a Georgian citizen and in case he returns to Georgia he will face the law.
In 2017, after the confrontation with Poroshenko, Saakashvili was also deprived of his Ukrainian citizenship.
