Georgian PM rules out Saakashvili being handed over to Ukraine

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Tuesday said that Mykhailo Podolyak, the adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine, claimed no one wanted to involve Georgia in the war, while at the same time he was demanding the opening of a second front.

Kobakhidze’s comments came after Podolyak urged the Georgian authorities to allow the transfer of the imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili for medical purposes, if not to Ukraine, then at least to another country.

In his interview with the Adjara Public Broadcaster, Kobakhidze noted there was no chance of Saakashvili being handed over to Ukraine.

“The transfer of Saakashvili to Ukraine has no chance at all. As for the interview with Podolyak, who is still the President’s advisor in Ukraine, he spoke about how no one wanted to involve Georgia in the war”, the PM said.

“At the same time, Podolyak himself was making statements regarding a second front - he was specifically demanding the opening of a second front. It is very clear what kind of sincerity we are dealing with when these statements come from specific individuals. When such people talk about Saakashvili’s transfer, of course, we cannot take these messages seriously”, he concluded.