Ukraine and Georgia pledge to join efforts to counter Russian aggression

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcement on February 10, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Vasiliy Bodnar, and Deputy Head of Georgia’s Diplomatic Mission to Ukraine David Bochorishvili, agreed to join the countries’ efforts in countering Russian aggression.

Bodnar noted that it is very important to facilitate the development of the bilateral partnership between the countries, especially in the areas which benefit both Ukraine and Georgia. He noted that the bilateral ties should also facilitate the countries’ Euro-Atlantic integration aspirations:

“Ukraine and Georgia are both suffering from Russian military aggression, which is why it is necessary for us to maintain our ties in order to be able to counter the Kremlin’s threats. Together we should move forward towards NATO membership, and that alone will make us resilient to any external efforts aimed at damaging our partnership”, Bodnar said and added that Georgia is Ukraine’s strategic partner.

On February 13, the Spokesperson of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleg Nikolenko stated that Ukraine condemns the sentencing of an illegally detained Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze in the occupied region of Tskhinvali. Nikolenko stated that this action grossly violated international law, as well as Russian obligations under the ceasefire agreement achieved in 2008. He went on to say that the sentencing of Gakheladze showed that Russia aims to destabilize the security within the occupied territories and the region as a whole.

Nikolenko called for Russia to “immediately stop the destabilizing activities” and release the illegally detained Georgian citizen. In his statement, Nikolenko underlined Ukraine’s continuous support for Georgia’s sovereignty and integrity of its internationally recognized borders and called for the international community to increase pressure on Russia to stop its aggression against Georgia and Ukraine and demand the de-occupation of their respective sovereign territories.

Zaza Gakheladze, a citizen of Georgia, was shot and illegally detained by Russian occupation forces in 2020. In a trial that took place earlier this month, Gakheladze was sentenced to 12 years and 6 months in prison. The international community condemned the court’s verdict on Gakheladze’s case and called for Russia to immediately release him. PM Gakharia promised to spare no efforts in ensuring that Gakheladze is released to go back home as soon as possible, and stated that the negotiations with the strategic partners on the matter are already in full motion.