Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Addresses Incident During Visit to Mikheil Saakashvili by Polish Doctors
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, July 20, 2023
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement regarding an incident that occurred during the visit of Polish doctors to President Mikheil Saakashvili at the Vivamed clinic in Tbilisi. The purpose of the visit was to provide assistance to the former president. The statement highlights that the incident was inconsistent with the agreed terms, unintentional, and unforeseen. It was promptly addressed on-site and subsequently explained during a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.
In this context, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern over the decision of Georgia's Special Penitentiary Service, under the Ministry of Justice, to publish the record of the search conducted on the Polish doctor, as well as a number of emotional statements made by representatives of state bodies. These actions were deemed contradictory to the principles of good cooperation.
The Polish side strongly emphasized that the incident itself, as well as its disclosure by the Georgian authorities, will not impact the assessment of the patient's health condition, the performance of Georgian doctors, or the process of analyzing examination results.
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its firm commitment to continuing cooperation with Georgian partners without changes and said it stands ready to take further actions aimed at assisting both Georgian partners and the former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili.
"The visit of Polish doctors to President Mikheil Saakashvili at the Vivamed clinic in Tbilisi was intended to provide assistance to the former president. Unfortunately, an incident occurred that was inconsistent with the agreed terms, unintentional, and unforeseen. Immediate action was taken on-site, and during the subsequent meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the incident was explained in detail. Given this context, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses concern about the decision made by Georgia's Special Penitentiary Service, under the Ministry of Justice, to publish the search record of the Polish doctor, as well as certain emotional statements made by representatives of the state bodies. These actions contradict the principles of good cooperation.
The Polish side wishes to emphasize that neither the incident itself nor its disclosure by the Georgian authorities will have any impact on the assessment of the patient's health condition, the performance of Georgian doctors, or the process of analyzing examination results.
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains committed to maintaining unchanged cooperation with our Georgian partners and is prepared to undertake further actions aimed at assisting them and supporting the former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili," the statement reads.
