The Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned Ukrainian Ambassador to Georgia Ihor Dolhov over recent statements made by ex-President of Georgia and ex-Governor of Ukraine's Odesa region Mikheil Saakashvili, who now chairs Ukraine's Executive Reforms Committee.
This was announced by the ministry on its website on Thursday, July 9, the Ukrainian-registered European Pravda news outlet reported.
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Saakashvili earlier called the incumbent power in Georgia "illegitimate."
"At the meeting, the Georgian side once again emphasized the strategic and friendly character of Georgian-Ukrainian relations and expressed concern over the unacceptable statements by the Ukrainian official about the Georgian authorities," the statement said.
Georgia's Foreign Ministry says that Saakashvili's actions are in violation of Georgian law and "do significant harm to the relations between the two countries."
"The Georgian side expressed hope that the Ukrainian side would properly assess this fact and that both sides will make efforts to further develop the relations," the ministry said.
According to the statement, the Georgian Foreign Minister had a conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, on this subject. Kuleba, according to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, "expressed concern about the incident and promised to clarify the situation."
Yesterday, July 9, Saakashvili, the third president of Georgia and the current chairman of the Executive Reforms Committee under the President of Ukraine, called the Georgian government "illegitimate."
"I believe that the Georgian government is completely illegitimate. I will never recognize its legitimacy and I will never recognize the legitimacy of the situation that has now developed in Georgia," Saakashvili said in a video address.
These are not the first Ukraine-Georgia tensions over Saakashvili's statements.
