By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) – Ukraine on Thursday strongly reacted to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's comments about the ongoing war with Russia, urging not to involve it in domestic politics.
“Ukraine once again calls on the Government of Georgia to refrain from involving our state and citizens of Ukraine in the internal political processes of Georgia, as well as from fooling around with the blood and suffering of the Ukrainian people,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told private television network Imedi TV that the billboards used in the ruling Georgian Dream party’s electoral campaign have caused worry in “specific entities.”
“For two-and-a-half years, they successfully managed to hide from the population of Georgia what happened and what is happening today in Ukraine, where there is a complete disaster in terms of economic, humanitarian, infrastructure, etc,” Kobakhidze was quoted as saying by Georgian news agency Interpressnews.
“The persistent efforts of the current government of Georgia to erase from the memory of the Georgian people the numerous crimes of Russia, which it has committed and continues to commit in the temporarily occupied territories of both Georgia and Ukraine, are surprising,” the ministry said.
It said it deemed Georgian Dream’s use of Ukrainian images in its campaign as “shameful,” expressing that the speculations have “exposed the truth” about the party, including its “willingness to cause irreparable damage to the traditionally friendly relations between the Ukrainian and Georgian peoples for the sake of political points.”
The statement also accused the Georgian government of “photocopying” the Kremlin and claimed that the country has returned to being economically and politically dependent on Russia.
“We hope that the parliamentary elections in Georgia will be held in a peaceful and democratic manner, and the Georgian people will continue the strategic course of joining the EU and NATO,” it added.
Late last month, Kyiv condemned Tbilisi after multiple local media outlets reported the ruling party was using images from the Ukraine war in its electoral campaigns.
The Georgian Dream is seeking a fourth term in the parliamentary elections scheduled for Oct. 26.