Georgian Parliament Speaker: if Ukrainian Government decides that it wants friendly relations with Georgia, we will welcome it

Georgia bears zero responsibility for the strained relations between Tbilisi and Kyiv, and the next steps toward restoration depend entirely on the Ukrainian government's willingness to draw the right conclusions, said on Friday Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili.

When asked by journalists about the future outlook of Georgia-Ukraine relations, Papuashvili emphasised that while Georgia welcomes attempts to mend ties, the responsibility for past friction does not lie with Tbilisi.

The speaker noted that the recent push to restore relations came directly from the Ukrainian authorities. He mentioned that Georgia's position had already been clearly communicated by the Georgian foreign minister during a recent meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart.

“Our contribution to the damage of this relationship is zero”, Papuashvili told reporters. “Therefore, we expect that if the Ukrainian government is ready to draw appropriate conclusions regarding what was not right in these relations and what needs to be fixed, we will only welcome that. Time will tell the rest”.

The Parliament Speaker reiterated that Georgia is moving forward but remains open to positive diplomacy if Kyiv changes its approach.

“If the Ukrainian government decides that it wants friendly relations with Georgia, we will welcome it”, Papuashvili concluded.