Georgian PM speaks about ongoing attempts to drag the country into conflict

Attempts to draw Georgia into a military conflict do not stop, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said. About it writes Interfax.

“Attempts to make this conflict (in Ukraine) somehow spread to our country, unfortunately, do not stop. We directly heard the statements of representatives of the Ukrainian authorities on this subject. Their goal was to open a “second front,” he told reporters.

Garibashvili said that it was for this reason that the former president of the republic, Mikheil Saakashvili, arrived in Georgia, and provocations do not stop at the present time. At the same time, according to the prime minister, Georgia managed to avoid drawing itself into the conflict.

“Our main task was, is and will be to protect the interests of our people. We will make only those decisions and do the work that our country and our people need,” he added.

On January 9, 2023, the European Pravda publication published an article by Andrey Kasyanov, Chargé d’Affaires of Ukraine in Georgia, in which he spoke about Kiev’s request to Tbilisi to return the Buk air defense system to Ukraine, which Ukraine had previously transferred to the republic. The diplomat said that Kyiv also asked for Javelin anti-tank missile systems, which Georgia received from the United States.

After that, the Georgian Ministry of Defense stated that the country would not return the Buk air defense system to Ukraine, since the republic bought this weapon, and did not receive it for free. “The information disseminated by the media that Ukraine donated the Buk air defense system to Georgia does not correspond to reality. <...> As for the transfer of weapons or dual-use equipment to Ukraine, the Georgian government has repeatedly voiced a clear position on this issue,” the statement said.

The Georgian Defense Ministry noted that in 2007 the republic received Buk systems from Ukraine as a result of “multi-million purchases.” Due to the secret agreement, Tbilisi cannot disclose the details, the department added.

The Georgian authorities also reminded that they continue to provide humanitarian aid and political support to Kyiv. In particular, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic pointed to the generators, which were transferred to Ukraine at the initiative of the Prime Minister of Georgia.

On January 15, Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia Teya Tsulukiani statedthat the Georgian authorities will not allow Tbilisi to be involved in a military confrontation and will not help any of the parties to the conflict in Ukraine. She added that Georgia has already experienced “many wars” and the authorities cannot allow the country to become involved in a new conflict, because “this is our responsibility for the future of our country.”