Vice Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Gia Volski has commented on the brief meeting between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Yerevan on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit.
The representative of Kartuli Otsneba (Georgian Dream) emphasized that Tbilisi is not at odds with Kyiv. He stated that constant attempts to involve Georgia in military actions have led to the “very difficult relations that we have developed.”
However, Volski added, this does not mean that they should refuse to speak with one another or shake hands.
The Vice Speaker noted that despite an unobjective attitude from the Ukrainian authorities, Georgia has never ceased its political support for Ukraine. He expressed hope that relations with Ukraine would become positive.
“Despite the absolutely unobjective, incorrect assessments and attitude from the Ukrainian government and authorities—personally from Zelenskyy—Georgia has never stopped providing Ukraine with assistance—political assistance.
Providing military aid would mean entering the war, which they demanded; however, this does not mean that we should not talk.
We must talk with Zelenskyy and remind him once again that there is not a single resolution, not a single international format, where Georgia has not stood in support of Ukraine. Count how many thousands of Ukrainian children are currently studying in Georgian schools in their Ukrainian sections; count how many hundreds of Ukrainian students are studying in Georgia, and let us draw conclusions based on that.
<…> Instead of recalling the ambassador from here and entering into this confrontation with Georgia… very bad propaganda is being conducted in the media. Of course, relations could be more positive.
Georgia is a partially occupied country. This should also be taken into account. Constant attempts to involve Georgia in military actions, of course, lead to the very difficult relations that we have developed. But this does not mean that we should not find time to talk to each other and shake hands.
World politics is characterized by the fact that today is followed by tomorrow, in which completely different strategic goals and visions may take shape. We hope that relations with Ukraine will be positive,” Gia Volski stated.
Georgian PM and Ukrainian President held their first post-war meeting in Yerevan
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the 8th European Political Community (EPC) summit, which, according to the Georgian Government Administration, was held at the initiative of the Ukrainian side.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of a continuing cooling of relations between Tbilisi and Kyiv. In recent years, Georgian authorities have repeatedly stated that certain representatives of the Ukrainian leadership allegedly called on Georgia to open a “second front” against Russia. Tbilisi claims that such calls created political pressure and put the country at risk of being drawn into the war.
In particular, representatives of the ruling Kartuli Otsneba (Georgian Dream) party and Kobakhidze himself have previously stated that such signals from Kyiv were unacceptable and contradicted Georgia’s security interests. The Ukrainian side, for its part, categorically rejects accusations of attempts to drag Georgia into the military conflict and insists that no such official demands were made.
As a reminder, the Georgian authorities claim that Brussels, Ukraine, and—at their prompting—the Georgian opposition demanded that Tbilisi open a “second front.”
For instance, on May 24, 2022, then-Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated that “Ukrainian friends” wished to see a second front in Georgia to weaken Russia.
Garibashvili was referring to statements by Ukrainian officials, in particular, the now-former Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, who said on August 8, 2022, that Georgia, which lost Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and Moldova, which lost Transnistria, should follow Ukraine’s example to “tear Russia apart.”
According to the then-head of the NSDC, countries affected by Russian aggression could have joined Ukraine to accelerate victory. However, they were prevented from doing so by fear.
This statement by Oleksiy Danilov was not his first. Earlier, in March, he said that the opening of other fronts against Russia would greatly help Kyiv. Specifically, if Georgia and Moldova took up the task of reclaiming their lands occupied by Moscow.
In Tbilisi, Danilov and other Kyiv officials were harshly criticized for such remarks.
The Georgian authorities insist that the country’s territorial integrity will be restored exclusively through peaceful measures, and they also claim that certain forces—implying the West as well—are trying to drag Georgia into a war with Russia.
However, opponents of the government, Georgia’s fifth president Salome Zourabichvili, and representatives of the EU and the US—specifically the former Joe Biden administration—have repeatedly stated that “no one wants” to open a second front in Georgia.