Ex-president Saakashvili appointed as head of Ukraine’s Reform Council, Georgian government reacts
By Nika Gamtsemlidze
Monday, May 11
The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, has now officially signed a decree appointing the ex-president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili as the head of Ukraine’s National Reform Council. For the last few weeks, the leaders of Ukraine were talking about appointing Saakashvili at one of the high positions in the country. From the very beginning, the government of Georgia was against it and were saying that this could hurt the relations between the two countries.
However, according to Zelensky, Ukraine is a democratic country and it is not the job of other countries to decide the political processes in the country. Zelensky has said that he hopes that Saakashvili can give ‘impetus to the Council and can make important changes’ in Ukraine.
Initially, Saakashvili was considered for the position of the Vice Prime Minister for reforms, however, the position was withdrawn later. Leaders of Georgia, including the PM and the President, have said that this decision can affect the relations between the two countries because of the charges that are against Saakashvili in Georgia right now.
According to Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Zalkaliani, Georgia is not planning to cut off the relations between Ukraine and Georgia, but the appointment of Mikheil Saakashvili to Ukraine raises questions, which is why Georgian Ambassador to Ukraine Teimuraz Sharashenidze will be summoned for consultations in Tbilisi.
According to the Minister, the reduction of Mikheil Saakashvili's initial position and his appointment to the post of Chairman of the Executive Committee of the National Reform Council shows the skeptical attitude of the Ukrainian political spectrum, including the parliamentary majority.
According to David Zalkaliani, the participation of the Georgian Ambassador to Ukraine, among other issues, should determine what actions are needed to prevent the negative effect on the Georgian-Ukrainian relations, including joint Euro-Atlantic efforts.
During a visit to the Luhansk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters that it was a mistake to summon Georgia's Ambassador to Tbilisi for a consultation on the appointment of Mikheil Saakashvili to the National Reform Council.
Zelensky said that Ukraine has excellent relations with Georgia and the Georgian people. “Despite everything, we will not call our Ambassador to Ukraine for consultations, because the relations between the two countries are bigger than the leadership of any country,” the Ukrainian president said.
Giorgi Gakharia, the Prime Minister of Georgia, said that the only reason why the government decided to summon the Ambassador is that the government is trying to find ways to save the relations between the countries.
According to him, summoning the Ambassador does not mean questioning the strategic partnership or diplomatic relations with Ukraine, it is an attempt not to jeopardize the relations between the two countries.
Saakashvili recently got his Ukrainian citizenship back, after Zelensky’s coming into power. Mikheil Saakashvili received Ukrainian citizenship in 2015, when he was appointed as the governor of the Odessa region. In July 2017, after Saakashvili created an opposition party called the Movement of New Forces, Poroshenko issued a decree that stripped Saakashvili of his Ukrainian citizenship. In 2018, Saakashvili was deported from Ukraine.
