Georgian authorities warned Poroshenko against advisers in the person of Saakashvili and Bendukidze
Moscow – Kyiv, May 28 (Navigator, Mikhail Shtamm) – Georgian authorities have warned Ukrainian President-elect Petro Poroshenko of the "risks" of cooperating with former Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili, who resides in the United States. The warning comes in response to reports from Kyiv regarding the possible appointment of the former Georgian president, as well as the chief architect of Georgia's reforms, Kakha Bendukidze, as advisors to Poroshenko.
Subscribe to Navigator Kyiv news on Facebook or VKontakte
“My first advice to the newly elected President of Ukraine is to under no circumstances consider Saakashvili’s candidacy as an adviser,” warned Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, commenting on information about the possible appointment of ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili or ex-Minister for Structural and Economic Reforms as advisers to Petro Poroshenko Kakhi Bendukidze (and perhaps both at once).
Earlier, Mikheil Saakashvili’s comrade-in-arms in the “Rose Revolution,” Nino Burjanadze, issued a similar warning. In February, she said that she “loves Ukrainians very much” and that is why she advises them to “keep Saakashvili away from them.”
Moscow also expressed bewilderment at the rumors about Mikheil Saakashvili’s invitation to Kyiv. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov advised the Ukrainian authorities “not to turn Saakashvili into a mediator between Ukraine and Russia.”
However, associates of the ex-president of Georgia believe that this should only reassure the Ukrainian authorities of the correctness of such a decision. Kakha Bendukidze also agrees with this. He recently presented his views on the situation in Ukraine at the Tbilisi Free University (of which he is the founder). According to him, if Ukraine does not carry out radical reforms, “Ukrainian statehood will cease to exist.” He called the main reason for the long-term crisis “the social populism of all Ukrainian authorities since independence.” However, information about possible appointments has not yet been confirmed either by the potential advisers themselves or by the new president of Ukraine.
Georgian authorities warned Poroshenko against advising Saakashvili and Bendukidze.