Georgia’s Foreign Ministry summoned on Friday Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires Georgii Nazarov to complain over remarks made in leaked wiretapped recordings by governor of Odessa region Mikheil Saakashvili, who is Georgia’s former president.
Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Davit Jalagania told the Ukrainian diplomat that Tbilisi was “extremely dissatisfied” over the remarks, which contain “calls posing threat to security and stability in Georgia.”
“It was noted that such remarks represent interference in Georgia’s internal affairs, which is inadmissible and does not correspond spirit of friendly and partnership relations existing between Georgia and Ukraine,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.
In two leaked wiretapped recordings, involving phone conversations with Tbilisi-based Rustavi 2 TV head Nika Gvaramia and one of the leaders of Georgia’s opposition UNM party Giga Bokeria, Saakashvili discusses “defending” Rustavi 2 TV through erecting barricades, calls for “going through revolutionary scenario” and speaks about the need for “physical confrontation”.
“The Georgian side expressed hope that the Ukrainian side will react appropriately and no similar situation will reoccur,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.
It was the second time when Ukrainian diplomat was summoned by Tbilisi over the past eight months because of Saakashvili. In February Ukraine’s ambassador was summoned after Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko appointed Saakashvili as his adviser; Saakashvili is wanted by the Georgian authorities for multiple criminal charges which he denies as politically motivated; Ukraine declined Tbilisi’s request for Saakashvili’s extradition in April, 2015.
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