Georgia’s ruling party official: Tbilisi expects “specific steps” from Kyiv to repair bilateral relations

Levan Machavariani, the first deputy chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party faction in the legislative body, on Saturday said Georgia expects Ukraine to take “specific steps” to address past actions that damaged relations between the two countries.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Machavariani commented on the recent revival of communication between Tbilisi and Kyiv.

When asked whether the renewed dialogue could lead to the restoration of diplomatic representation in both capitals in the near future, Machavariani responded: “Georgia is needed by everyone as a partner because everyone knows how reliable a partner it is”.

According to him, the Ukrainian authorities have realized realities that “European bureaucrats still fail to acknowledge today, but will recognize tomorrow”.

“They saw that the government in Georgia cannot be changed - neither by bringing back Saakashvili, nor through the radical opposition, nor through Gvaramia”, he stated. “In Kyiv, they understood there was no point in prolonging the process and began talking to us. We expect the same approach from European bureaucrats”.

Machavariani also accused the Ukrainian government of making a number of serious mistakes in its relations with Georgia.

“Official Kyiv made many mistakes toward Georgia. They were directly trying to drag us into the war, appointed Adeishvili and Lortkipanidze to high-ranking positions, and secretly brought Saakashvili into the country - we will not forget this easily”, he said.

He added that while developments have accelerated and Kyiv appears interested in restoring communication with Tbilisi, Georgia expects visible efforts from the Ukrainian side.

“We need to see that they are taking specific steps to correct what they did wrong and that they genuinely want to make amends”, Machavariani concluded.