Georgian Ambassador to Ukraine, Giorgi Zakarashvili, on Wednesday, remarked on his meeting with Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis, who asked him to leave for Tbilisi to hold consultations over jailed ex-President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili.

Zakarashvili stated that he had briefed Ukraine of Georgia’s stance on this very matter and underscored that the Ukrainian authorities’ request and concerns “do not correspond to the truth, which is confirmed by the Strasbourg court ruling and many other facts provided by the Georgian authorities.”

“The meeting highlighted that this event would prevent the development of bilateral ties, hence create certain problems, including communication.”

It was further pointed out that the Ukrainian side, particularly the Foreign Ministry, is well aware, that from the very first day of the Russian intervention, Georgia has provided maximum humanitarian and political support to Ukraine, including in all international arenas, the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, and all important international organizations.

We stressed that we continue to back our friend country and the Ukrainian people,” the Georgian Ambassador asserted.

On July 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the Georgian authorities “to hand over Ukrainian citizen Mykhailo Saakashvili to Ukraine for the necessary treatment and care.” He also urged partners to address this situation and “not ignore it and save this man.”

Georgian MFA echoed the statement, deeming it “a severe form of diplomatic escalation, and it is terrible that Kyiv is taking this move against a friendly state and people, the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.”

Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili said Georgia would continue to back Ukraine “to the best of its ability, as we have done so far.”