Ruling Party Head Pledges the Security of Georgian Citizens in Ukraine to be Ensured.
By Khatia Bzhalava
Monday, February 14, 2022
Ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party head Irakli Kobakhidze has expressed his concern over the latest developments in Ukraine, noting that ‘risks of escalation are quite high’. Kobakhidze said that Georgia would like to contribute to the prevention of war in Ukraine, which, as he noted, "is not easy."
According to him, they are looking closely at the developments in Ukraine and their reaction, be it a visit or a statement, will be based on the situation. “We have expressed a very loud position in the resolution regarding the current events in Ukraine” he noted, referring to the resolution in support of Ukraine approved by the Georgian Parliament on February 1.
As for the Georgian citizens in Ukraine, Kobakhidze claimed that the government would do its best to ensure their safety when needed. On Saturday, the Georgian Foreign Ministry announced that a hotline had been activated for Georgian citizens in Ukraine, noting that Georgian diplomatic representations are in constant communication with Georgian citizens. According to the Ministry, due to the high risk of escalation of tension and probability of invasion, Georgian Embassy in Kyiv and Consulates in Odessa and Donetsk are transformed onto an emergency working regime.
The US and EU member states are urging their citizens to leave the territory of Ukraine. As BBC reports, the US has warned that Russia has the troops in place to invade Ukraine ‘at any time’, urging its citizens to leave the country. White House said on Friday that an invasion could start with aerial bombing that would make departures difficult and endanger civilians. The UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Latvia, Japan, and South Korea have also urged their nationals to evacuate from Ukraine.
