Representatives of Georgian Opposition Parties Leave for Ukraine
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Thursday, February 3, 2022
Members of “Lelo”, “Droa” and “National Movement” are leaving for Ukraine. Although all three opposition parties are traveling to Ukraine separately and this is not their joint visit, they may hold joint meetings in Kyiv.
According to the opposition representatives, against the background of the prominent position of the Georgian authorities towards Ukraine, their visit and expression of support on the ground are especially important.
The Lelo delegation departed from Tbilisi airport yesterday, where the new political secretary of the party, Salome Samadashvili, told the media that it is important to show solidarity with the Ukrainian people and politicians against the background of the resolution adopted by the parliament.
“Today, the future of our country's freedom is largely determined by what happens in Ukraine, so it is important for us not only to show solidarity but also to draw up a joint action plan in several areas. In particular, one direction is to strengthen our security. We will discuss a new format of cooperation announced between Poland, Ukraine, and the UK as well as lobbying our interests in NATO and the EU, and coordinated positions on restraint policies against Russia,” Samadashvili said.
Lelo explained that they are planning on meeting with representatives of all major political groups and the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian political spectrum should know that we strongly support Ukraine's sovereignty. “We are also going to establish cooperation formats with the relevant forces in Ukraine, which will strengthen both their country and our country,” she added.
The delegation of “Droa” will leave for Kyiv as well. Elene Khoshtaria said that there will be meetings in the Rada with journalists, non-governmental organizations, and Georgians living in Ukraine. “Droa” will also bring the flags of Ukraine and Georgia to the Rada, on which signatures and messages of support for the citizens are placed.
“We want to meet the Georgian military where they are. It depends on the security and logistics issues of Ukraine. We do not want to bother too much, but if we can, then we will go to that line as well,” Khoshtaria said.
According to “Strategy Builder”, Giorgi Vashadze is already in Ukraine.
“United National Movement” will fly from Tbilisi on February 3. Khatia Dekanoidze, chairwoman of the UNM said that despite their wish, the visit of the Parliamentary Friendship Group to Ukraine has not been possible so far. According to her, if there is a coincidence of time, they will gladly hold joint meetings with their counterparts in Kyiv.
It is known that after the adoption of the resolution in support of Ukraine without mentioning Russia, the opposition is preparing a joint statement with Ukraine. According to Dekanoidze, the text explains the reasons why the opposition did not support this resolution.
Recall that the Georgian Parliament passed the Georgian Dream-sponsored motion in support of Ukraine with 74 votes in favor and 33 abstentions, but without naming the Russian Federation.
MPs from the ruling party pushed through the resolution, ignoring pleas from the opposition to postpone the vote and amend the language to explicitly label Russia as a perpetrator and aggressor in the Ukraine situation.
Almost all opposition lawmakers in attendance abstained from voting except for the ones from the Citizens and European Socialists, who chose to back the document.
