Archil Talakvadze Criticizes Ukraine's Decision Regarding Georgian Ambassador
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
After Volodymyr Zelensky announced on July 3rd that he would ask the Georgian ambassador to leave Ukraine within 48 hours for consultations in Tbilisi regarding the issue of Mikheil Saakashvili's handover to Ukraine, Archil Talakvadze, the Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, expressed his opinion that Ukraine's decision regarding the ambassador is unfair. He firmly believes that this step will not weaken Georgia's support for Ukraine.
"Certainly, this decision is not fair, especially for the ambassador who did not leave Ukraine and Kiev for a single day during the war. He stayed in Kiev, even when it was being bombed. He was among the exceptional diplomats, and Georgia was among the exceptional embassies that were not evacuated and remained in Ukraine, standing by the Ukrainian people until the end. This step cannot weaken Georgia's support for Ukraine, but it is clearly unfair and undeserved. The ambassador of Georgia truly did not deserve such a decision," Talakvadze stated.
Additionally, Talakvadze pointed out that the 'radical' opposition is not interested in protecting the interests of Georgia and the ambassador's position.
"The fact that the opposition is acting against the interests of the state and our country can be seen from all directions, and they will also be happy with the decision made regarding the ambassador. A true politician should be interested in Georgia's interests and should protect the ambassador's position, especially when the truth and all arguments support our ambassador, who stayed in Kiev during the war, even when it was being bombed. If the radical opposition is not interested in this, it is not really surprising. I hope that in 2024, the electorate that supported the opposition will properly evaluate this," said Talakvadze.
