Davit Arakhamia Pledges to Request Ambassador to Tbilisi if Nika Gvaramia is Released from Prison
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
David Arakhamia, the head of the People's Servant faction in the Ukrainian Rada, stated in an interview with the Mtavari Channel that if Nika Gvaramia is released, he will be the first person to request the president to appoint an ambassador to Tbilisi.
Arakhamia stated in an interview with the Main Channel that imprisoning a journalist is unacceptable, especially for a country with European aspirations. He emphasized that mentioning the case of Gvaramia in Brussels or Strasbourg would result in high-ranking European officials not wanting to associate with members of the Georgian government. Arakhamia asserted that while the Georgian government may pretend to have the respect of their partners, this is not the case. He claimed that when meeting with these individuals informally, they are shocked by Gvaramia's story.
According to Arakhamia, the President of Georgia had made a promise to pardon Nika Gvaramia, but this promise has not been fulfilled yet. He expressed disappointment that despite President Salome Zourabichvili being a French citizen, no pro-European steps have been taken to resolve the situation.
Arakhamia was asked about the conditions under which Ukraine would send its ambassador back to Georgia, and he responded that the first step would be to release Gvaramia.
"The first step will be to release Nika Gvaramia. Nika Gvaramia is not a politician, he is a journalist. And if he is released from prison, I will be the first to go to my president and ask him to send the ambassador to Tbilisi," Arakhamia said.
According to him, he was warned by Americans about potential problems when crossing the border and a possible scandal, which led him to refrain from attending the funeral of Vakhtang Kikabidze.
Arakhamia stated that Georgian people will not get used to such a government, and there will be either a new power or a coalition. He also mentioned that Bidzina Ivanishvili has been in power for more than ten years and is doing everything, including at the legislative level, to maintain his power. However, Arakhamia is confident that the situation will change and that the Georgian people will deliver Ivanishvili 'a proper answer'.
