Ukraine condemns the violent crackdown on rallies in Georgia. Ukraine also rejects attempts by the Georgian authorities to involve the country in domestic political processes.
Points of attention
- Ukraine condemns the violent crackdown on peaceful protests in Georgia and rejects attempts to drag the country into internal political conflicts.
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sharply criticizes the violation of human rights and the use of force against peaceful demonstrators in Georgia and supports the country's move towards the EU and NATO.
- Ukraine calls on the Georgian authorities to respect the right of citizens to peaceful protest and to abandon the intimidation of citizens with mythical scenarios.
- The Georgian authorities must refrain from using violence against their citizens and adhere to democratic standards in the development of the country.
- Ukraine assumes that European integration is the key to stability and prosperity for Georgia and its people.
Ukraine condemns the actions of the Georgian authorities against the demonstrators
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine sharply criticizes the violation of human rights and the use of force against peaceful demonstrators in Georgia.
Violence will not remain without consequences. The Georgian authorities must respect the right of citizens to peaceful protest, especially given that the reason for the protests was the government's decision to stop moving to the EU, contrary to the aspirations of the Georgian people, the statement said.
The Ministry recalled that similar rhetoric about "suspension" and not curtailment of European integration was already used by politicians in Ukraine, which led to well-known tragic events.
Ukraine also rejects the accusations of the Prime Minister of Georgia regarding the possible "Ukrainian scenario" of the protests.
The Georgian authorities should stop intimidating their citizens with the mythical "Ukrainian scenario", while they themselves implement the "Belarusian scenario" in practice. Ukraine supports democratic transformations in Georgia and its movement towards the EU and NATO, which corresponds to the interests of the Georgian people
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its support for Georgian diplomats who publicly opposed the government's decision to end EU accession negotiations.
We believe that European integration is the way to stability, prosperity and development of democratic institutions in Georgia. "Ukraine remains steadfast in its solidarity with the Georgian people and supports their aspirations for a European future," concluded the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
What is important to know about the protests in Georgia
As already mentioned earlier, on November 28, Georgian Prime Minister Iraklii Kobakhidze, who is a de facto protégé of the Kremlin, announced Tbilisi's withdrawal from EU accession negotiations "until the end of 2028."
The pro-Russian politician said this after the approval of the European Parliament's resolution calling not to recognize the results of the last elections in Georgia.
It is important to understand that several Georgian departments have already opposed this decision.
Against this background, the country's leader, Salome Zurabishvili, emphasized that the ruling party has declared war on its own people.
On November 28, a large protest gathered under the walls of the parliament in Tbilisi, clashes with the police began.
As a result, the protesters were violently dispersed with the use of water cannons and tear gas. During the crackdown, security forces beat journalists and their equipment. The actions continued on Friday evening, the police also used violence against the demonstrators.
On the morning of December 2, Zurab Japaridze, one of the leaders of the opposition party "Coalition of Changes", was detained in Tbilisi, as well as several journalists. At the same time, the Prime Minister of Georgia thanked the security forces for dispersing the protests.
