The arrest of the former Gerogian president Mikheil Saakashvili, presently a citizen of Ukraine, after his return to Georgia has aroused strong emotions among his compatriots and in Europe.
The pro-western politician, who came to power a year after the 2003 "Rose Revolution", took over the presidency with a group of reformers seeking to modernize the country. Saakashvili, who has mastered Western culture and mentality, as well as studied in the United States, was able to lead the country for only nine years. Under Saakashvili, Georgia experienced only four years of development. The 2008 conflict in South Ossetia and Russia's subsequent occupation of the region caused stagnation in his country. It has been thirteen years since the one-fifth of Georgia's territory has been remaining under Russian occupation.
Nevertheless, the war did not destroy the democratic principles in Georgia. Saakashvili resigned after completing his term, ensuring a peaceful transfer of power. Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire who once served as Georgia's prime minister, gripped the post through the Georgian Dream party.
Saakashvili left the country a few days before the end of his presidency in 2013. The former Georgian president, who later acquired Ukrainian citizenship, also became governor of Odessa. Saakashvili, who is currently deprived of Georgian citizenship and banned from entering the country, was detained on October 1 on charges of illegal entry into the country. He was later tried in a Georgian court and was sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of killing Georgian banker Sandro Girgvliani and assaulting MP Valery Gelashvili.
The most interesting point about Saakashvili's arrest was the demand of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to return him to Ukraine unconditionally. Zelensky said that he would personally be engaged in the return of Saakashvili from Georgia to Ukraine by taking decisive measures in this regard. Meanwhile questions arise: can Ukraine-Georgia relations, which have always supported each other in the political world and whose territories are occupied, be broken at such a moment? Or what could be the outcome of the talks between Zelensky and current Georgian President Salom Zurabichvili, who says she will not pardon Saakashvili for treason? Also can Russia advance from such a situation in some ways?
EDNews.net received comments of Ukrainian political commentator Vadim Tryukhan regarding to the above questions.
He said the issue would be resolved through negotiations without any confrontation between the two countries.
"In this sense, President Zelensky has no choice. He has to take care of every Ukrainian citizen. Mikheil Saakashvili has been a citizen of Ukraine since 2015. At the same time, we are talking only based on legal mechanisms. We hope that everything will be resolved through negotiations and using international legal documents in the hands of both parties. In my opinion, the situation with Mr. Saakashvili will not lead to a serious confrontation between Georgia and Ukraine. Because both countries are interested in good neighbourhood principles and mutually beneficial relations.
Tryukhan also touched on the Russian factor and said that Russia could take advantage of such a tense situation in some way.
"Obviously, any misunderstanding between the states that are considered enemies by Russia is an opportunity for it. However, they will not be able to take advantage of the tensions that arose after the "visit" of former Georgian President Saakashvili to his homeland. The maximum they will see will be the ideas voiced by Kremlin propagandists on talk shows for a day or two and the mud they will try to throw at Ukraine and Georgia. You can't expect anything special. Russia, which turns a blind eye to its fault, always tries to resort to fraud and manipulation in the political world".
Elnur Enveroglu
