“Georgia has a very clear position when it comes to Ukraine; we regularly join resolutions, and there are documents on record. We support the norms and principles of international law, which are of the utmost importance to us, particularly as they relate to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. On this issue, we are both personally invested and objectively principled,” said Georgia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Maka Botchorishvili in an interview on the Rustavi 2 TV’s Night Courier programme.

“First and foremost, it is critically important to us that these principles of international law are respected and upheld. They concern us directly; the territorial integrity of our own country has been violated, and it is essential that we remain consistent when we speak about international law and the observance of its norms,” Botchorishvili said.

In her assessment, hopes had emerged that steps toward a peace agreement might be imminent, yet the war continues to rage.

“Expectations around the observance of international legal norms did, to some extent, arise when we saw the personal involvement of the President of the United States and the broader effort by Washington to take concrete steps toward a peace agreement. And yet we continue to see the war dragging on, and tragically, people in Ukraine are still dying. It is deeply saddening. The war goes on, and there are no clear contours yet of what a peace agreement might look like or what the outcome could be. And not only for Georgia, no one knows what the end of this war will mean for Europe, or for the global order at large,” the minister noted.

Botchorishvili also addressed Ukraine’s so-called “peace package” and the question of EU membership.

“There is frequent discussion in the media about what Ukraine’s peace package actually contains, including references to specific dates for EU accession, with Ukraine set to become a member of the European Union. At the same time, there is a noticeable degree of European hesitation in specifying concrete dates, accompanied by certain anxieties within the EU, which, on one hand, supports Ukraine and its aspirations for membership, yet, on the other, opposes establishing firm timelines. It is genuinely difficult to say how the war will end and what consequences that will have for our region, for Europe, and for the global order more broadly,” Botchorishvili said.

The Foreign Minister also turned her attention to Georgia-Ukraine relations specifically, including the long-unresolved matter of Ukraine’s ambassador to Georgia.

“Regarding the appointment of an ambassador, we received notification of the nomination last year, a long time ago now, and to this day, the ambassador has not arrived in Georgia. It is hard to say when that will happen. We are well aware that Ukraine’s position regarding Georgia remains complex and somewhat delicate. There is also a certain cynicism in how the subject of propaganda is raised, given the scale of the propaganda campaigns we ourselves have witnessed directed against Georgia. We have, in many ways, been the victims of a massive disinformation effort.

We all saw how Georgia was blamed for everything; our country was painted in the darkest possible colours, with the full assistance of media outlets, including international ones. Every accusation imaginable was levelled against us, including the ‘camite’ affair,” the minister noted.

Botchorishvili made clear that some significant issues continue to overshadow the Georgia-Ukraine relationship.

“When we speak about Ukraine, it is genuinely difficult to say how Georgia-Ukraine relations can develop from here. Much will need to be put right. Above all, what we would most readily expect is some form of acknowledgement and recognition from the Ukrainian side, an acceptance that Georgia has done everything within its power to support Ukraine politically, to stand by Ukraine in terms of humanitarian assistance, and to help those affected by the war. Against that backdrop, the criticism and pressure directed at Georgia, including from Ukrainian politicians, was entirely unjust and unwarranted,” Botchorishvili said.