Georgian PM says his ‘small country’ is doing everything to support Ukraine

Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili highlightedThere will be “permanent peace” in Georgia.

“We assure the population that there will be lasting peace in the country, there will be no second front, there will be no war. On the contrary, there will be development, creation and peace,” Garibashvili told reporters on 13 May.

He recalled that the Georgian people “have already fought three times with Russia.” Garibashvili said, “We went through the 1990s, then civil wars and thousands of hardships, then the “August war”, which had devastating consequences and led to the occupation of our lands.

The Prime Minister urged us to pay attention to the fact that Georgia is doing everything in its power to help Ukraine from a humanitarian perspective.

“Georgia was the first country to send so many humanitarian cargoes to the Ukrainian people. <...> We are doing everything we can, especially health and education. We are doing the maximum that a small country can do with our budget. Please consider the interests of our country first.<...>. “550 tons of humanitarian aid was sent to Ukraine – people appreciate and understand this,” said Garibashvili.

National interests are paramount. Georgia’s view of Ukraine

As soon as Russia launched a military operation against Ukraine, Georgian officials expressed their solidarity with the Ukrainian people. “The Georgian people are in shock at Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. “We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and call for an end to hostilities,” Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said on February 24.

He noted that “a military attack on a sovereign country is unacceptable” and urged the international community to “take all possible measures” to stop Russia.

The next day, February 25, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced that Georgia itself would not participate in the sanctions because it would “be guided only by national interests”.

“We are, of course, aware of the actions of our international partners, namely the economic and financial sanctions after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. And I would like to make it clear that Georgia will not participate in these sanctions, because this will only cause great harm to our country and our population,” he said.

He added that the Georgian government is doing everything “within its capabilities” to provide political and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recalled the Georgian ambassador – calling Tbilisi’s stance on sanctions “immoral”. Zelensky also noted that Georgian authorities have blocked volunteers who want to go to Ukraine.

Iraqi Kobakhidze, head of the ruling Georgian Dream party, explained that helping the volunteers could be seen as Georgia’s involvement in hostilities.

“Georgia will continue to provide political and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and this is the maximum amount that a country that survived the 2008 war and whose territory was occupied by Russia 20 percent can do. Even the indirect participation of Georgia in the conflict can lead to irreparable consequences,” he said.

On March 31, the Georgian president announced that Georgia is participating in “all international financial sanctions against Russia”, which somehow affects the “Georgian financial sector” (the president did not specify how exactly). He also reminded that Georgia agrees with “all decisions taken to support Ukraine”. In early March, Georgia joined 140 other countries in a UN vote to condemn Russia for the events in Ukraine. Five countries opposed the then UN General Assembly resolution – Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Russia and Syria.

A few days later, on April 3, the Georgian prime minister reiterated that Georgia would not impose sanctions against Russia. We want peace, stability and development. Our country needs this today. War benefits no one, and to prevent war any patriotic government must do everything possible to avoid the greatest disaster, war, trial. Garibashvili stressed.

Separately, the vice presidents of Georgia and Ukraine argued among themselves in early April. From the Ukrainian side, Irina Vereshchuk said that Georgia and Russia are discussing the possibility of smuggling military equipment and spare parts through Georgian territory. “They are negotiating behind our backs,” Vereshchuk accused, citing Ukrainian intelligence.

The Georgia State Security Service later stated that accusations of smuggling from Georgia would be “considered as premeditated disinformation, an extremely hostile and provocative step aimed at creating internal unrest in Georgia, which inevitably is in its interests.” only hostile-minded forces in relation to Georgia”.

Georgia Vice President Teya Tsulukiani described the smuggling allegations as “dirty lies”. He stressed that the Georgian authorities keep the borders under control and strictly control any suspicious goods, sanctions or those that can be used in military operations. “Unfortunately, during my tenure as Minister of Justice, Ukraine has become a reserve for criminals who fled Georgia through no fault of ours. That’s why I want the Ukrainian government to cooperate not with the escaped criminals, but with the Georgian government,” he said.

On April 18, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said that lies about Georgian authorities and Russian special operations were spread by supporters of Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Papuashvili added that the “important thing now is brotherhood” between Ukraine and Georgia. He stated that there is a mutual desire of the countries to eliminate the misunderstandings that have arisen.

“We experienced it too. Our cities and our hopes were also bombed and destroyed. So we Georgians understand your pain very well,” he said.

Georgian authorities stated that they will not engage in an armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Earlier, the Prime Minister of Georgia has repeatedly said that Tbilisi will not support Western sanctions against Russia, as this would harm the national interests of the country. At the same time, the Georgian government emphasizes that it provides serious humanitarian aid to Ukraine and is in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. How Georgia tries to find the right position in the face of the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv – in the material “socialbites.ca”.



Source: Gazeta

Popular

More from author

Putin called the President of South Africa 14:38

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with his counterpart from the Republic of South Africa (RSA), Cyril Ramaphosa. This has been...

A new personnel crisis is approaching in one of the sectors of the economy in Russia 14:46

Russia's logistics sector is experiencing a personnel crisis that could slow down the growth of economic activity and the recovery of international trade volumes....

A man fell into a coma after a fight in a cafe in the Krasnoyarsk Territory 14:55

A resident of the Krasnoyarsk Territory was hospitalized after a fight near a cafe. This was reported by "Channel 7 Krasnoyarsk". Relatives of the...

The Russian army defeated two brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in one of the directions 14:54

Over the past 24 hours, Russian military personnel defeated two brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Kherson direction; enemy...