UKRAINE-GEORGIA kyiv wants to ‘save’ Tbilisi (from Putin)

The Ukrainians dictate sanctions against the relatives of the founder of the majority party of Georgia, for alleged links with the Russian leader. The Georgians do not want to be dragged into the war. In Tbilisi, the opposition is cautious.

Moscow () – The decisions and statements of various Ukrainian political figures have sparked a heated debate in Georgia. President Volodymyr Zelensky approved a new sanctions list, which includes several close relatives of Georgian Dream party founder Bidzina Ivanišvili, seen as the real “Putin’s agent” in the Caucasus.

To add fuel to the fire, the adviser to the Ukrainian head of state, Aleksej Arestovič (view photo), promised that “Ukraine will save Georgia”. In Tbilisi, the representatives of the majority party repeat that kyiv intends to drag Georgia into a war against Russia.

The Georgian government has given no sign that it has officially asked kyiv for clarification – diplomatic or otherwise – about the sanctions imposed on Ivanišvili’s relatives. Georgian Dream leader Iraklij Kobakhidze suggested “not to get carried away by emotions” as Georgia maintains a friendly stance towards Ukraine, despite Ukrainian claims related to the war events. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture, Teja Tsulukiani, also spoke on the matter, stating that “it is very unfortunate that a country that claims to be a friend makes such hostile decisions, but Georgia will not allow itself to be dragged into war.”

In statements to the television channel Alpha and OmegaArestovič further charged the inks, explaining that the situation in Georgia “is a catastrophe, taking into account the positions of its pro-Russian government, which is incapable of making any decisions”. The current Tbilisi executive, Arestovič says, has destroyed everything that former President Saakašvili (today detained in a Georgian jail and in possession of Ukrainian citizenship) had created; now the country is a victim of police corruption, where everyone is sold to the highest bidder, “as the Georgians themselves say”.

Arestovič added that he could imagine “how the Georgians who really love their homeland will tear their hair, but we will do everything to save them, and we also want to save Moldova and Armenia, to restore the entire post-Soviet space.” Zelensky’s adviser foresees a joint reconstruction effort after the war, in which “many peacekeepers, stabilization operations and humanitarian aid” will be needed.

The truth is that such statements left the members of the Georgian opposition of the National Movement, the party founded by Saakašvili, quite surprised. Arestovič’s “salvific” announcements, as the group’s leader Khatija Dekanoidze put it, while perplexing, entail acknowledging everyone’s “freedom of expression.” He admitted that he does not understand “those words of war threats, and I do not share the views of those who want to act with force… Arestovič talks about the role of Ukraine in the region, but embarking on a new war with the Russians for our occupied territories it is something that is out of the question,” he said, referring to the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

According to Dekanoidze, “Georgians will resort exclusively to peaceful ways, through political and economic integration with the West, and this includes the goal of reclaiming those occupied territories.” Georgian Dream deputy Iraklij Kadagišvili commented on Arestovič’s words in another way: “In [su] Logically, the armies must enter first, then the diplomats and finally the investors, but in this way what we obtain are new imperialist masters; It is exactly what the Russians have always done.”

The majority of the government wants to avoid a conflict with Ukraine, and with “the West that has its back”, as confirmed by another opposition deputy, Salome Samadašvili: “The sanctions against Ivanišvili’s family are a consequence of bad decisions of Georgia on security, and now Georgian Dream is complaining about the result of its inaction, making propaganda against Ukrainians to instill fear in society.

The head of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Relations, Nikoloz Samkharadze, said that the issues raised by Arestovič will in any case be addressed at an upcoming meeting in Zagreb, where the platform of support for Ukraine will be constituted: “Then serious speeches will be made, not words to the wind that are not worth listening to”.