Wanted ex-Georgian President Saakashvili hopes to return to Ukraine as Zelensky wins
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, April 23
Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who faces criminal charges both in Georgia and Ukraine, says that he has already appealed to the security agency of Ukraine to allow him to return back to the country which is “like a homeland” to him.
Saakashvili, former governor of Odessa in Ukraine, who contradicted incumbent Petro Poroshenko, says that he is eager to play his role in Ukraine under comic actor Volodymyr Zelensky, who defeated billionaire Petro Poroshenko in the run-off presidential elections with 73 percent of votes on April 21.
The United National Movement (UNM), the party founded by Saakashvili in Georgia which ran the country between 2003 and 2012, believes that Saakashvili will provide changes both in Ukraine and Georgia.
“The Ukrainian people said no to oligarch Poroshenko at polling stations, the same will happen to Bidzina Ivanishvili [founder of the Georgian Dream ruling party, billionaire, whose Georgian Dream coalition defeated the nine-year-rule of the United National Movement in 2012],” a member of the UNM Nika Melia said.
Members of the ruling party say that the “expectations are fruitless.”
Top Georgian figures, the president and prime minister, have already wished success to the Ukrainian president-elect.
“Congratulations to Volodymyr Zelensky for his election as Ukraine’s new president, and to the people of Ukraine for holding free and fair elections. I look forward to working with the new president and deepen our bilateral relations,” President Salome Zurabishvili tweeted.
Georgian PM Mamuka Bakhtadze wrote that “Georgia stands with Ukraine in its peaceful and democratic decision.”
Georgian political experts believe that much will be dependent on Zelensky’s decisions to Saakashvili in the future relations of Georgia and Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office declared Saakashvili wanted for three alleged crimes back in 2017 when the latter called corrupt to his former ally Poroshenko and demanded his resignation in front of Rada.
Before that Poroshenko deprived him [Saakashvili] of his Ukrainian citizenship.
The Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine said that Saakashvili was accused of supporting and assisting of a criminal group, an attempt to commit a crime and a premeditated offense by a group of people.
Poroshenko appointed Saakashvili as the Odessa Governor in May 2015, but in November 2016 the Georgian ex-President left the post, accusing Poroshenko of corruption.
Saakashvili, who served as Georgia’s third president from 2004 to 2007 and again from 2008 to 2013 is also charged in Georgia with abuse of power relating to the closure of media organization and the violent crackdown of protestors during his time in office.
