Saakashvili says Ukrainian President Zelenskiy is 'against thieves'

Controversial Georgian ex-leader Mikheil Saakashvili has been offered a top government post in Ukraine, prompting anger in Tbilisi. Talking to DW, Saakashvili warned a collapse in Ukraine would threaten all of Europe.

  
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy triggered a diplomatic row with Georgia by offering the post of deputy prime minister to former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, prompting Tbilisi to threaten to recall its ambassador to Kyiv on Friday.

Saakashvili's new post would be "categorically unacceptable" to Georgia, said Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia. In turn, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry commented that it was yet to receive a formal note from Tbilisi and was still regarding Georgia as a "trusted friend and ally."

From college friends to political enemies

The now 52-year-old Saakashvili took power in Georgia as a leader of a peaceful pro-Western revolution in 2003. While enjoying enormous support among voters and backing from Western countries in the early years of his presidency, his credibility was damaged when the government launched a heavy-handed crackdown against protesters in 2007. Still, Saakashvili managed to secure another term in early 2008.

Some months later, Georgia lost a brief war against Russia for control of two of its provinces. Many blamed the war on Saakashvili's miscalculations. Throughout his second term, Saakashvili's rivals continued to accuse him of trying to control the media and judiciary and of trading favors with businessmen close to his government.

The leader left Georgia for the US in 2013. In 2015, he secured Ukrainian citizenship from the country's then-president Petro Poroshenko, who was Saakashvili's friend from college. The native Georgian then started a new political career in Ukraine as a governor of Odessa.

Saakashvili and his vocal supporters eventually turned on former President Petro Poroshenko

After a year and half in power, however, Saakashvili publicly fell out with Poroshenko and accused the president of trying to sabotage an anti-corruption campaign. The ensuing political war led to many intense public incidents, including a crowd of Saakshvili's supporters spectacularly breaking him out of a police car in downtown Kyiv during a failed arrest attempt in late 2017.

With Petro Poroshenko losing the 2019 election to Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the flamboyant politician is no longer targeted by the Ukrainian government.

However, Saakashvili was convicted of abuse of power in Georgia and remains a wanted man in his native country.

Read more:  Saakashvili: Georgian reformist battles Ukraine's president

'Drain the swamp'

Talking to DW's Alexandra Indyukhova on Friday, Saakashvili said he asked by Zelenskiy to "strengthen the government's capacity for reforms." Specifically, Saakashvili hopes to battle corruption and take charge of negotiating with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international institutions.

When asked about recent political developments in Ukraine, Saakashvili told DW that former President Poroshenko "was a thief and and Zelenskiy is definitely against thieves."

Ukraine's economy had been on the ropes for years, even before the coronavirus; new President Zelenskiy also has eastern rebels with Russian support and a corrupt system to contend with

"He is absolutely sincere in his desire to tackle the old system but right now either he will drain the swamp or the old system will swallow him," he added.

The former Georgian president also warned that Ukraine was on the brink of collapse because of the ongoing conflict in the east and the new economic crisis.

"This is a real challenge because if Ukraine's economy collapses, as it is projected, considering the separatist forces, the destabilizing impulses from Russia, we are facing a very dangerous situation — not [just] for us here, but for the entire European continent," he said.

Read more:  Ukraine conflict: Can the Minsk-2 peace deal with Russia be salvaged?

The Ukrainian parliament is due to vote on Saakashvili's appointment next week. However, some reports indicate that even the ruling party behind Zelenskiy is deeply divided on the issue.

dj/msh (Interfax, Ukrainski Novini, AFP)

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Saakashvili: Georgia's ailing ex-leader starts new hunger strike

Saakashvili was sent to jail after he smuggled himself back into Georgia last year

By Rayhan Demytrie
BBC News, Tbilisi

Jailed Georgian ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili has vowed to go on hunger strike again after a court hearing into his jail term was postponed.

Saakashvili, 54, has been in a Georgian jail for more than a year, convicted of abuse of power while in office.

He has not been seen in public since April, and has reportedly suffered significant weight loss and is unable to move without assistance.

Wednesday's hearing was cancelled because no video link was set up.

The court in Tbilisi had been due to consider whether to suspend his sentence or release him on humanitarian grounds for medical treatment abroad. Saakashvili's lawyer told the BBC the government was afraid to reveal the real state he was now in.

Saakashvili hopes the international community will press Georgia to release him. "SOS. I am dying, I have very little time left," he wrote earlier in a hand-written note to the French president.

He has already staged two hunger strikes against his imprisonment. He was transferred to the private Vivamedi Clinic in Tbilisi in May 2022 and has been confined to a room there.

In a statement on Wednesday he said his right to trial had been refused, so he was forced to respond.

"I am aware of all the risks, considering my health condition, but I will be on hunger strike until I get guarantees that I will be involved in my process, at least with a video link."

Empathy, an organisation supporting victims of torture in Georgia, alleged on 1 December that he had been diagnosed with illnesses "incompatible with imprisonment" and that Georgian and foreign medical experts had found evidence of heavy-metal poisoning.

Hair samples revealed high levels of mercury.

But the Georgian government denies Saakashvili's life is in danger.

"We will not allow anyone, no matter who they are, to put themselves above the law," Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told local media on 7 December.

"I heard a lot that Saakashvilli is depressed and does not like the environment. Which prisoner likes the prison environment?" he said.

The former president has inflamed tensions in Georgia between his supporters and those who want him punished for crimes committed in office.

Mikheil Saakashvilli rose to power after Georgia's so-called Rose Revolution in 2003 and was credited with introducing major reforms and helping to steer the country towards a more Western system of democracy. But in his final years in office, he was accused of turning increasingly authoritarian.

He led the country until his party's defeat in elections in 2012, then later left Georgia to avoid facing prosecution.

Saakashvili was tried in absentia and sentenced to six years in 2018 for abuses of power. There are additional criminal cases against the former president, including illegally crossing the state border last September, after he smuggled himself back into Georgia.

But his supporters believe his prosecution is a transparent political vendetta.

Saakashvilli had a very public falling-out with Georgia's powerful oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia.

Mikheil Saakashvili/Facebook
I am sick, but tomorrow I want to attend the court that decides my life or death. thank you everyone! I love youMikheil Saakashvili
Scrawled letter written last week


Mr Ivanishvili founded the governing party, Georgian Dream, and is widely believed to maintain influence in politics.

The opposition United National Movement, founded by Saakashvili, has accused the current administration of being pro-Kremlin for failing to openly criticise Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.

Georgia's government argues its approach to its northern neighbour is pragmatic and accuses the opposition of seeking to entangle Georgia in Russia's war.

Saakashvili describes himself as a prisoner of President Vladimir Putin.

"All my life I fought for freedom and reforms in Georgia and Ukraine against Russia's imperialist policy. Putin considers me one of his main enemies," Saakashvili wrote in his note to the French president.

IMAGE SOURCE,GEORGIA INTERIOR MINISTRY/REUTERSImage caption,
Saakashvili was detained in October 2021 when he made a surprise return to Georgia

The Russian leader infamously threatened to hang Saakashvili "by his balls" during the 2008 Russia-Georgia war over the Georgian region of South Ossetia, which is now occupied by Russia.

Eduard Saakashvili warned journalists at the European Parliament this week that his father's health was in decline and that he was growing weaker: "A person who used to be energetic, ambitious, charismatic, restless is slowly fading away.

"Add that to the medical reports and we see a dire picture… from mistreatment and inadequate care... We cannot allow my father Mikheil Saakashvili to die in prison."

He called on the Georgian government to allow his father to receive treatment abroad.

Earlier, the US ambassador to Georgia, Kelly Degnan, said the government of Georgia was responsible for meeting Saakashvili's medical needs and ensuring his rights.

When asked about his responsibility for the former president's well-being, Prime Minister Garibashvili said it was in the hands of God.

"Our lives are given to God, so I can't really be responsible for anyone's life," he said.

NO FRIEND OF PUTIN
Ex-Georgian president Saakashvili poised for another political comeback in Ukraine

Ilya Zhegulev

KIEV (Reuters) - The former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, said on Wednesday he had been invited to become deputy prime minister of Ukraine in charge of driving reforms, in what would mark another comeback for the maverick politician.
FILE PHOTO: Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili arrives in Kiev as his supporter shows the decree of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which restores Saakashvili's citizenship, at Boryspil International Airport outside Kiev, Ukraine May 29, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

One of the most recognizable leaders in the post-Soviet world, Saakashvili was brought in to run the southern Odessa region of Ukraine in 2015 but fell out with the president at the time, Petro Poroshenko.

Saakashvili said he had been invited to join the government of the current president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, whose candidacy he backed in last year’s election.

He will join at a time when Ukraine faces a recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and the government is trying to secure an $8 billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund that is contingent on Kiev’s reform performance.

“It is a great honour for me to receive from President Zelenskiy an offer to become deputy prime minister of the Ukrainian government for reform,” Saakashvili wrote on Facebook.

“We have a very difficult period ahead ... we now have more than ever to be courageous in our decisions and reforms.”

David Arakhamia, the head of Zelenskiy’s Servant of the People faction, told Reuters that parliament could vote on Saakashvili’s appointment on Friday.

Arakhamia said Saakashvili was suited to a broad-ranging role in fighting corruption and that his abilities had not been properly used in Ukraine before.

Zelenskiy’s office said the president had met Saakashvili to discuss Saakashvili’s vision of how he might help Ukraine’s development.

“Mikheil Saakashvili is well known in the international arena and has already demonstrated experience of the successful implementation of reforms,” his office said.

Saakashvili had been hired to run Odessa five years ago based on his track record of fighting corruption as president of Georgia after the 2003 Rose Revolution.

He resigned as governor in 2016 and accused Poroshenko of corruption, which Poroshenko denied.

The Ukrainian authorities stripped Saakashvili of his citizenship when he was abroad, but he barged his way through a checkpoint at the Polish border to get back into Ukraine in September 2017. He was deported five months later.

Saakashvili returned to Ukraine last year after Zelenskiy restored his citizenship in one of his first official acts as president.

Alexander Rodnyansky, an economist at Britain’s Cambridge University and former adviser to the Ukrainian government, told Reuters Saakashvili’s arrival would be positive for reforms.

“I have always respected Georgia’s experience and the reforms that it has carried out, and I hope that this will not break any political balances,” he said.

Georgians vow mass hunger-strike after reports ex-leader 'tortured'


This latest protest took place on Saakashvili's 54th birthday (AFP/Vano SHLAMOV)

Irakli METREVELI
Tue, December 21, 2021, 11:30 AM·3 min read

Several thousand supporters of Georgia's jailed opposition leader and ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili rallied Tuesday vowing a "mass hunger-strike" to secure his release after doctors said he was tortured in custody.

Waving Georgia's five-cross flag and holding banners that read "Free Saakashvili!" protesters marched through the capital Tbilisi before gathering outside parliament for the rally timed to coincide with the politician's 54th birthday.

Saakashvili's arrest exacerbated a political crisis stemming from parliamentary polls last year that the opposition denounced as fraudulent.

It also spurred the largest anti-government protests in a decade.

"Today, we are launching a mass hunger-strike that will not end until Mikheil Saakashvili is released from captivity," Nika Melia, the chairman of Saakashvili's United National Movement (UNM), said to applause.

It was not immediately clear how many people intended to participate in the hunger-strike outside the UNM headquarters.

"This is a non-violent protest, a tough move, we have no other choice but to put pressure on the regime so that it loosens its grip on the Georgian state which it has captured," Melia, the leader of the country's main opposition group, said.

In a message to supporters that was read out at the rally by Saakashvili's mother, Giuli Alasania, the former leader called for national unity and peaceful mass protests to pressure authorities to hold snap parliamentary polls.

He said Georgia's "long-time dream and historic aspiration of European integration is under threat".

"We are in vital need of free media, impartial judiciary, fair elections. We need freedom here and now, and for good."

"Changing the current regime is an essential pre-condition for the fulfilment of our Western aspirations," he added referring to the ruling Georgian Dream party founded by the powerful oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili.

- 'Back to European path' -

Georgia's richest man who made his fortune in Russia, Ivanishvili is widely believed to be the top decision-maker in the country, despite having no official political role.

One of the demonstrators, 47-year-old architect Giorgi Darsavelidze, told AFP that "Ivanishvili's regime will crumble under popular pressure".

"We will not stop until Saakashvili is free, until Georgia is back to its European path," Darsavelidze added.

On Saturday, an independent council of doctors who examined Saakashvili in custody, said he had developed serious neurological diseases "as a result of torture, ill-treatment, inadequate medical care, and a prolonged hunger-strike".

Saakashvili refused food for 50 days to protest his jailing for abuse of office, a conviction he has denounced as politically motivated.

The flamboyant pro-Western reformer called off his hunger strike after he was placed -- in a critical condition -- in a military hospital in Georgia's eastern city of Gori.

Georgia's president from 2004 to 2013, Saakashvili was arrested on October 1 shortly after he secretly returned to Georgia from exile in Ukraine.

Amnesty International has branded Saakashvili's treatment "not just selective justice but apparent political revenge".

The US State Department has urged Georgia's government "to treat Saakashvili fairly and with dignity".

Rights groups have accused the Georgian government of using criminal prosecutions to punish political opponents and critical media.

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili sparked an uproar recently when he said the government had been forced to arrest Saakashvili because he refused to quit politics.

im/jbr/gw

Georgia jailed ex-leader Saakashvili 'tortured' in custody: doctors


Georgia's jailed opposition leader and ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, pictured in court in November 2021, has faced torture and ill-treatment in custody, an independent council of medics said (AFP/IRAKLI GEDENIDZE)

Irakli METREVELI
Sat, December 18, 2021

The health of Georgia's jailed opposition leader and ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili has been seriously damaged as a result of torture and ill-treatment in custody, an independent council of medics said Saturday.

Saakashvili refused food for 50 days to protest against his jailing for abuse of office, a conviction he has denounced as politically motivated.

The 53-year-old pro-Western reformer called off his hunger strike after he was placed -- in a critical condition -- in a military hospital in Georgia's eastern city of Gori.

He has developed a number of neurological diseases "as a result of torture, ill-treatment, inadequate medical care, and a prolonged hunger-strike", said the doctors, who had examined him in custody.

Their statement said he had been diagnosed with the potentially life-threatening brain disease Wernicke encephalopathy and with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among other conditions.

One of the doctors, psychiatrist Mariam Jishkariani, told AFP that the conditions that "resulted from Saakashvili's psychological torture in prison, could lead to his incapacitation if he is not given a proper medical care".

She said Saakashvili was "wrongly prescribed antipsychotic drugs which he hadn't needed and which could further damage his health".

"This could be interpreted as a pharmacological torture."

Earlier in November, Saakashvili said he was subjected to psychological torture that included death threats, sleep deprivation and physical abuse.

"I was tortured, I was treated inhumanely, beaten up, and humiliated," he said.

Georgia's State Inspector Service said in a statement last week that it "had launched an investigation into the alleged inhuman treatment" of Saakashvili.

- 'Political revenge' -

The independent Pirveli TV channel reported that inmates in the prison shouted threats and profanities at Saakashvili who led a campaign against organised crime during his tenure as president.

Saakashvili has said it was "orchestrated by the prison administration".

He described an episode when he "was alone and absolutely sure the criminals were coming to kill" him as prison guards did not respond to his call.

In November, the country's justice ministry released footage of the former president being dragged by the floor by prison guards during his forcible transfer from prison to a prison hospital.

Amnesty International has branded Saakashvili's treatment "not just selective justice but apparent political revenge".

The US State Department has urged Georgia's government "to treat Saakashvili fairly and with dignity".

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) demanded that the ex-Soviet nation's authorities "ensure his safety in prison, and provide him with appropriate medical care".

The ruling was delivered in November as part of an urgent interim measure that the ECHR applies "only where there is an imminent risk of irreparable harm", the court said in a statement.

Georgia's president from 2004 to 2013, Saakashvili was arrested on October 1 shortly after he secretly returned to Georgia from exile in Ukraine.

His arrest exacerbated a political crisis stemming from parliamentary polls last year that the opposition denounced as fraudulent.

It also spurred the largest anti-government protests in a decade.

Rights groups have accused the Georgian government of using criminal prosecutions to punish political opponents and critical media.

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili sparked an uproar recently when he said the government had been forced to arrest Saakashvili because he refused to quit politics.

im/jxb

Georgia's opposition calls fresh protests over new law after clashes

Wed, March 8, 2023 

Georgian opposition and civil society groups called for new protests Wednesday against government plans to introduce controversial "foreign agent" legislation, reminiscent of Russian legislation to pressure critics.

The calls came after more than sixty of people were detained and dozens of police officers wounded in violent clashes that broke out in the capital Tbilisi late Tuesday, amid fears of democratic backsliding in Georgia.

"Starting from 3:00 pm (1100 GMT), Georgians will start to gather on Rustaveli Avenue and that will continue every day," politician Nika Melia said.

Civil society groups called for protests outside parliament later Wednesday.

They are opposing a bill on the "transparency of foreign funding", which critics say resembles a Russian law against "foreign agents".

In Russia, the foreign agent label, which recalls the term "enemies of the people" of the Soviet era, has been used extensively by the authorities against political opponents, journalists and human rights activists accused of conducting foreign-funded political activities.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has defended his "balanced" Russia policy as aimed at ensuring "peace and stability".

After lawmakers gave initial backing for the draft law, thousands took to the streets on Tuesday.

Georgia's President Salome Zourabichvili expressed support for the demonstrators and vowed to veto the legislation.

Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters.

Demonstrators had "thrown various objects -- stones, inflammable and blunt objects... physically assaulted and resisted policemen," the interior ministry said.

- Molotov cocktails -

"Later, people started an organised attack on the parliament building, throwing so-called 'Molotov cocktails' and fireworks," the ministry said.

It added that 66 people has been arrested for minor hooliganism and disobeying law enforcement forces.

Up to 50 police officers were wounded in the clashes, the ministry added, with several still hospitalised.

"No matter how many times they disperse us, no matter how much gas they use, we will gather again and again, and there should be more and more of us," Melia was cited as saying in local media.

Melia is chairman of the United National Movement party of Georgia's jailed ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili.

Georgia's treatment of Saakashvili, whose health has drastically deteriorated in jail, has drawn international condemnation.

Late last month, European Union member states issued a formal diplomatic warning to Georgia's leaders over Saakashvili's health.

In recent years Georgian authorities have faced mounting international criticism over a perceived backsliding on democracy, seriously damaging Tbilisi's ties with Brussels.

Georgia applied for EU membership together with Ukraine and Moldova days after Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.

In June, EU leaders granted formal candidate status to Kyiv and Chisinau but said Tbilisi must implement a number of reforms first.

Plans to join NATO and the EU are enshrined in Georgia's constitution and are supported by at least 80 percent of the population, according to opinion polls.

bur/dt/js

Clashes in Georgia over contentious 'foreign agents' law

Tue, March 7, 2023 

Georgian police used tear gas and water cannon against protesters Tuesday as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in the capital Tbilisi to oppose a controversial "foreign agents" bill.

At one point a protester opposed to the law, which would impose registration requirements on media and NGOs with foreign ties, threw a Molotov cocktail at a cordon of riot police, according to television footage.

The demonstration took place after Georgian lawmakers earlier Tuesday gave their initial backing to the draft law, which is reminiscent of Russia's legislation used to crack down on dissent.

In recent years Georgian authorities have faced mounting international criticism over perceived backsliding on democracy, seriously damaging Tbilisi's ties with Brussels.

In 2012, Russia adopted a law that allows authorities to take action against NGOs, media outlets and others deemed "foreign agents".

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili expressed support for the demonstrators and vowed to veto the legislation.

"I stand with you because you are representing today the free Georgia which sees its future in Europe and will not let anyone steal this future," she said in a video from the United States where she is on an official visit.

"Nobody has the right to take away your future," she said in the address, with the Statue of Liberty seen in the background.

The US embassy in Georgia called the legislation "Kremlin-inspired" and said it was incompatible with the country's desire to join the European Union.

"Today is a dark day for Georgia's democracy," the embassy said in a statement, adding that the legislation raised questions about "the ruling party's commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration".

In Russia, the foreign agent label, which is reminiscent of the term "enemies of the people" of the Soviet era, has been used extensively by the authorities against political opponents, journalists and human rights activists accused of conducting foreign-funded political activities.

According to recently amended Russian legislation, anyone "under foreign influence" or receiving support from abroad -- not just foreign money -- can be declared a "foreign agent".

- Democratic backsliding -

Georgia applied for EU membership together with Ukraine and Moldova, days after Russia on February 24 invaded Ukraine.

In June last year, EU leaders granted formal candidate status to Kyiv and Chisinau but said Tbilisi must implement a number of reforms first.

Plans to join NATO and the EU are enshrined in Georgia's constitution and, according to opinion polls, are supported by at least 80 percent of the population.

In 2008, Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war but in recent years rights activists have accused the Georgian authorities of drifting towards the Kremlin.

Thousands of Russian men have fled to Georgia after President Vladimir Putin announced a military mobilisation last September.

Initially welcoming, Georgia has over the course of the past year deported a number of Russian activists with opposition views.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has defended his "balanced" Russia policy as aimed at ensuring "peace and stability".

The authorities have also been criticised over the worsening health of the jailed former president Mikheil Saakashvili.

Late last month European Union member states issued a formal diplomatic warning to Georgia's leaders over Saakashvili's health.

Georgia LGBTQ activists cancel Pride march after clashes
Issued on: 05/07/2021 -

A protester dances at an anti-LGBTQ rally in Tbilisi on Monday Vano SHLAMOV AFP

Tbilisi (AFP)

LGBTQ activists in Georgia said Monday they had been forced to cancel a planned Pride march after opponents clashed with activists and police and the prime minister spoke out against the event.

Pride events are still controversial in Georgia, a conservative country where the powerful Orthodox Church has previously clashed with Western-leaning governments over progressive social issues.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Georgia's capital Tbilisi against a Pride march that was scheduled for Monday evening.

They clashed with police and assaulted journalists at several locations, including outside parliament and the United Nations representative office to Georgia, footage from the Mtavari television network showed.

"We cannot risk human lives and take to the streets, which are full of violent attackers," organisers said in a statement on Facebook, announcing that "the march will not be held today".

Their statement added that the offices of the Tbilisi Pride organisation were also raided by "homophobic attackers".

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili had earlier on Monday spoken out against the march, describing it as "unacceptable for a large segment of Georgian society".

The "holding of the so-called Pride march is not reasonable as it creates the threat of civil confrontation", Garibashvili told a cabinet meeting.

He also accused opposition parties and exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili of attempting to provoke civil unrest.

"The opposition headed by Saakashvili is behind the Pride march, which is aimed at provoking civil confrontation and turmoil."

- 'Growing solidarity' -

Critics have accused the ruling Georgian Dream party government of tacitly supporting homophobic and nationalist groups.

Those organisations are seen as supporters of the ruling party and have staged protests against pro-Western opposition parties.

Pride organisers denounced Garibashvili's "shameful" statement, saying it encouraged homophobic sentiments and accused his government of failing to "protect fundamental human rights".

The Orthodox Church had called on supporters to gather Monday afternoon for a public prayer against the Pride march.

The US and EU diplomatic missions in Georgia, as well as the embassies of 16 more countries, issued a joint statement last week urging the Georgian government "to secure the right to peaceful assembly for all people in Georgia without exception".

Twenty-eight members of the European Parliament called on Georgian authorities in a letter last week to ensure Pride marchers the "right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly".

Georgian society is slowly becoming increasingly accepting of liberal social views in recent years and has hosted several Pride events.

"We feel growing solidarity from Georgian society and from politicians, but there are still violent homophobic groups," the Pride organiser, Giorgi Tabagari, told AFP.

In 2019, hundreds of far-right activists burned rainbow flags in Tbilisi, protesting against the screening of an Oscar-nominated gay-themed film.

In 2013, thousands of ultra-conservative supporters of the Orthodox church disrupted a Tbilisi rally to mark International Day Against Homophobia.

Activists had to board buses provided by police to escape the mob, which charged after them across the capital's main square, hurling stones, breaking windows and threatening to kill them.

The next day, thousands of Georgians signed an online petition demanding those behind the violent attack be prosecuted.

Georgia decriminalised homosexuality in 2000, and anti-discrimination laws were adopted in 2006 and 2014.

© 2021 AFP

Georgia LGBT activists cancel Pride march after clashes, office attack

Issued on: 05/07/2021

People celebrate in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, July 5, 2021 after LGBT campaigners cancelled a planned pride parade. © Irakli Gedenidze, REUTERS

LGBTQ activists in Georgia said Monday they had been forced to cancel a planned Pride march after opponents clashed with activists and police, and the prime minister spoke out against the event.

Pride events are still controversial in Georgia, a conservative country where the powerful Orthodox Church has previously clashed with Western-leaning governments over progressive social issues.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Georgia's capital Tbilisi against a Pride march that was scheduled for Monday evening.

They clashed with police and assaulted journalists at several locations, including outside parliament and the United Nations representative office to Georgia, footage from the Mtavari television network showed.

"We cannot risk human lives and take to the streets, which are full of violent attackers," organisers said in a statement on Facebook, announcing that "the march will not be held today".

Their statement added that the offices of the Tbilisi Pride organisation were also raided by "homophobic attackers".

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili had earlier on Monday spoken out against the march, describing it as "unacceptable for a large segment of Georgian society".

The "holding of the so-called Pride march is not reasonable as it creates the threat of civil confrontation", Garibashvili told a cabinet meeting.

He also accused opposition parties and exiled ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili of attempting to provoke civil unrest.

"The opposition headed by Saakashvili is behind the Pride march, which is aimed at provoking civil confrontation and turmoil."

'Growing solidarity'

Critics have accused the ruling Georgian Dream party government of tacitly supporting homophobic and nationalist groups.

Those organisations are seen as supporters of the ruling party and have staged protests against pro-Western opposition parties.

Pride organisers denounced Garibashvili's "shameful" statement, saying it encouraged homophobic sentiments and accused his government of failing to "protect fundamental human rights".

The Orthodox Church had called on supporters to gather Monday afternoon for a public prayer against the Pride march.

The US and EU diplomatic missions in Georgia, as well as the embassies of 16 more countries, issued a joint statement last week urging the Georgian government "to secure the right to peaceful assembly for all people in Georgia without exception".

"We feel growing solidarity from Georgian society and from politicians, but there are still violent homophobic groups," the Pride organiser, Giorgi Tabagari, told AFP.

In 2019, hundreds of far-right activists burned rainbow flags in Tbilisi, protesting against the screening of an Oscar-nominated gay-themed film.

In 2013, thousands of ultra-conservative supporters of the Orthodox church disrupted a Tbilisi rally to mark International Day Against Homophobia.

Activists had to board buses provided by police to escape the mob, which charged after them across the capital's main square, hurling stones, breaking windows and threatening to kill them.

The next day, thousands of Georgians signed an online petition demanding those behind the violent attack be prosecuted.

Georgia decriminalised homosexuality in 2000, and anti-discrimination laws were adopted in 2006 and 2014.

(AFP)

Moldova and Georgia celebrate as their aspirations for EU membership take crucial steps forward

EMMA BURROWS
Updated Fri, December 15, 2023 a











Georgia EU
Georgian gather to celebrate Georgia's EU candidacy at European Square in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. Several thousand people attend a march in support of Georgia's EU candidacy. European Union flags waved across Georgia Friday after the European Council took a step forward along the long road towards granting Georgia and Moldova as EU membership. 

(AP Photo/Zurab Tsertsvadze)


LONDON (AP) — Moldova and Georgia celebrated after European Union leaders buoyed their aspirations to join the 27 member nation bloc by removing key hurdles on their long path toward membership.

Lawmakers in both the Moldovan and Georgian parliaments waved EU flags and played the bloc's anthem at Friday's opening of their parliamentary sessions, following Thursday's surprise announcement to open membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and to grant candidacy status to Georgia. The announcement came despite strong opposition from Hungary and the fact that Ukraine and Georgia are partially occupied by Russia which also has troops deployed in Moldova's Transnistria region.

Thousands of Georgians gathered in the country’s capital Tbilisi to celebrate.

“The EU and integration with Europe is important for us. Not only will it be a security guarantee for us and enable the country to get stronger economically, but it is important for other values too including sports and culture, among others," said Erekle Sarishvili, a student who took part in the rally. "We, the young generation, have fought for this result but we also need to remember the older generations that have brought Georgia here.”

Moldova’s President Maia Sandu invited citizens to a pro-European gathering scheduled for Sunday in the capital Chisinau to herald what she described as a “historic step for the destiny of our country.”

Moldova's pro-Western Prime Minister Dorin Recean echoed Sandu, saying “Moldova is European" and "our future is in the EU.”

Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili congratulated the nation, saying that “this historic victory belongs to you, to our undefeated, unbroken, freedom loving Georgian people.”

By opening membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova and by offering Georgia candidate status, the EU has sent “a very important message to Russia,” Natia Seskuria, director of the Regional Institute of Security Studies in the Georgian capital Tbilisi said.

Although the path to full membership could take decades, the move “has a lot of symbolism," she said, because if the countries had been rejected “it would be another sign for Russia that they can basically do whatever they want.”

Both Moldova and Georgia were part of the Soviet Union for decades and both have struggled to emerge from Moscow's shadow. On Friday, the Kremlin responded with irritation to the news.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the move was “absolutely politicized” and that it was driven by the bloc’s “desire to annoy Russia further and antagonize these countries towards Russia."

Peskov said membership talks could take “years and decades," adding “such new members could destabilize the EU.”

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moldova has faced a long string of crises, including a severe energy shortage after Moscow dramatically reduced gas supplies last winter, skyrocketing inflation, and anti-government protests by a Russia-friendly political party.

In February, Moldovan President Maia Sandu also accused Moscow of plotting to overthrow the government to put the nation “at the disposal of Russia,” and to derail it from its course toward EU membership. Russia denied the accusations.

Debris from rocket fire has also landed several times in Moldova as a result of fighting in neighboring Ukraine. Tensions also soared in the country in April last year after a string of explosions in Transnistria — a Russia-backed separatist region of Moldova where Russia bases about 1,500 troops.

Russia also has forces in Georgia after the two countries fought a short war in 2008 that ended with Georgia losing control of two Russia-friendly separatist regions. In November, Russian troops shot and killed a Georgian civilian in South Ossetia, one of the breakaway regions, prompting condemnation from Georgian authorities.

Seskuria, from the Regional Institute of Security Studies, said EU membership has been a “generational dream for Georgians.” Although it's Georgia's “biggest success” so far toward EU membership, Seskuria cautioned that there's still a “long way ahead” and warned Georgia needs to deliver on the kind of progress the EU is seeking for the country to fulfill strict membership criteria.

That applies for all three countries which need to tackle corruption and organized crime while strengthening the rule of law.

Membership talks could also heighten tensions in Georgia where Salome Zourabichvili, Georgia’s pro-EU president, has long been a vocal supporter of joining the bloc, putting her at odds with the ruling Georgian Dream party which is widely seen as being pro-Russian by the Georgian opposition.

Speaking shortly after the EU leaders’ meeting, Zourabichvili said “Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova are the examples of what it means to fight for freedom, to fight for Europe, for those common values that we share with Europe and stay true to them.”

Zourabichvili has criticized a foreign agent registration bill which protesters in Tbilisi earlier this year said was inspired by a similar law in Russia used to silence critics of the Kremlin.

Opponents of Georgian Dream say the party’s founder, former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire who amassed a fortune in Russia, has continued calling the shots in the former Soviet republic of 3.7 million people even though he currently doesn’t hold a government job.

Georgian Dream has repeatedly denied any links to Russia or that it leans toward Moscow.

—-

Sophiko Megrelidze in Tbilisi, Georgia and Stephen McGrath in Kidderminster, United Kingdom, contributed to this report.


EU to open membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova

Jessica Parker in Kyiv & Paul Kirby in London - BBC News
Thu, December 14, 2023 

Ukraine's President Zelensky called the vote a "victory" for his country and for Europe

European leaders have decided to open EU membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova and to grant candidate status to Georgia.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the decision, made at a summit in Brussels, as "a victory" for his country and Europe.

A spokesperson for Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, said that agreement was unanimous.

Hungary has long opposed talks starting with Kyiv, but did not veto the move.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban left the room momentarily in what officials described as a pre-agreed and constructive manner, while the other 26 leaders went ahead with the vote.

He then distanced himself from his colleagues with a video message on Facebook: "EU membership of Ukraine is a bad decision. Hungary does not want to participate in this bad decision, and therefore stayed away from the decision today."

Mr Zelensky was delighted by the EU's announcement: "This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires and strengthens," he said on X.

Ukraine and Moldova applied to join the EU after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. They were both given candidate status last June, while Georgia was passed over at the time.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said it was an honour to share the path to EU accession with Ukraine. "We wouldn't be here today without Ukraine's brave resistance against Russia's brutal invasion," she wrote.

Earlier this year, Moldova warned that Russia was seeking to seize power in Chisinau. Ms Sandu said Moldovans were now feeling Europe's "warm embrace" and congratulated her compatriots on what she called "an award for all of society, all those who choose democracy and prosperity".

Moldova's President Maia Sandu said the decision to start talks opened a "new page"

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan welcomed the EU's "historic" move to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, calling it a "crucial step toward fulfilling their Euro-Atlantic aspirations".

Talks on joining the European Union can take years, so Thursday's decision will not guarantee Ukraine membership.

People in Ukraine know that the path to full membership is a long one, but this decision in Brussels will be a boost for morale.

EU candidate countries have to pass a series of reforms to adhere to standards ranging from the rule of law to the economy, although the EU's executive has already praised Kyiv for completing more than 90% of the steps taken so far on justice and tackling corruption.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised his fellow leaders for showing a "strong sign of support", adding that it was clear that both Ukraine and Moldova belonged to "the European family". A diplomat at the summit said it was Mr Scholz's idea for Mr Orban to leave the room to enable the vote to go through.

This was some much-needed good news for Ukraine, after almost 22 months of Russia's war and a continuing struggle to secure Western military and financial aid.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said it was a historic moment and an "important message of hope" for the citizens of Ukraine and Moldova.

Mr Zelensky travelled to the US earlier this week in a vain attempt to persuade the US Congress to push through $61bn in military funding, blocked by Republican lawmakers.

Ukraine's counter-offensive against Russia's occupying force has ground to a halt at the start of winter.

Earlier on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin mocked Ukraine and claimed Western support was running out: "Excuse my vulgarity, but everything is being brought in as a freebie. But those freebies could run out at some point."

But President Zelensky will at least now be able to point to this political win as proof that Ukraine is not steadily being abandoned by its partners.

The European Council president said it was a "very powerful signal... to the people of Ukraine we are on their side".

Many in Kyiv see their fight against Russia's invasion as a defence of European values and they firmly view their future as an active and effective member of the European Union.

Ukraine's 2014 "Revolution of Dignity", toppling its pro-Kremlin president, was rooted in a desire to move away from Russia's political orbit and towards Europe.

President Putin reacted by sending troops into eastern Ukraine and Crimea and then staging a far wider invasion in 2022.

For Georgia too, invaded by Russia in 2008, the EU vote was a "monumental milestone", said pro-EU President Salome Zurabishvili.

Georgia has a broadly pro-EU population, its government has a complex relationship with Moscow and has refrained from imposing sanctions on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine began.

Asked if President Putin had ambitions to do to Georgia what he was doing to Ukraine, pro-Putin Russian lawmaker and TV host Yevgeny Popov told BBC Newsnight, "We are not going to."

"We have enough territory," he said. "We are the biggest country in the world and we don't need any other territories. But all we need is security guarantees."

On Thursday, Mr Michel said the EU also intended to open negotiations with Bosnia-Herzegovina once it met criteria for membership. Bosnia was given candidate status a year ago but a progress report last month has listed further steps Sarajevo needs to take on electoral and judicial reforms.

Bosnia has the added issue of the leader of its majority-Serb area, Republika Srpska, threatening to secede.

European Union leaders agree to open membership talks with Ukraine, Moldova

Ehren Wynder
Thu, December 14, 2023 

U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky participate in a news conference in Washington on Tuesday. Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI

Dec. 14 (UPI) -- European leaders agreed Thursday to open European Union membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova, over dissent from Hungary.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X he was glad to receive news of the EU's decision at the Brussels summit and congratulated Moldovan President Maia Sandu on the joint victory.

"I thank everyone who worked for this to happen and everyone who helped," Zelensky said. "I congratulate every Ukrainian on this day ... History is made by those who don't get tired of fighting for freedom."

Sandu also expressed her gratitude for the decision and congratulated the Ukrainian president.

"We wouldn't be here today without Ukraine's brave resistance against Russia's brutal invasion," she said.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speak to the media in Washington on Tuesday. Photo by Julia Nikhinson/UPI

The unanimous decision marks a major milestone for Ukraine, which seeks to join the EU once the war with Russia is over. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban opposed the decision but did not veto the move. He instead left the room while the other 26 leaders went ahead with the vote.

He later said in a video the decision was "senseless," "irrational" and "incorrect" and added, "Hungary does not want to share in this bad decision."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks t the media in Washington on Tuesday. Photo by Julia Nikhinson/UPI

The EU's decision to open talks does not guarantee the countries membership, but it's a small victory for Ukraine as the U.S. Congress continues to battle over $60 billion in aid to the country.

Zelensky met with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington as Biden urged Congress to pass a comprehensive Ukraine-Israel aid package or give Russian President Vladimir Putin "the greatest Christmas gift they could possibly give him."

European Council President Charles Michel (L) and President of Moldova Maia Sandu (R) shake hands after a joint press conference in Chisinau, Moldova in 2022. File Photo by Dumitru Doru/EPA-EFE

Widespread support for Ukraine is popular in Europe, according to data from the European Commission. Sixty-one percent of EU citizens surveyed in October and November approved of the EU granting candidate status to Ukraine, and 60% approved of the EU financing the purchase of military equipment for Ukraine.


US State Department: Opening EU accession negotiations with Ukraine, Moldova 'historic moment'

Nate Ostiller, The Kyiv Independent news desk
Fri, December 15, 2023 


The European Union's decision to begin negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the bloc is a "powerful affirmation" of their respective "European future" and a "historic moment" for Europe, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Dec. 14.

The European Council agreed on Dec. 14 to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova and grant candidate status to Georgia. Ukraine and Moldova were granted candidate status last June, after which Kyiv was presented with seven criteria that need to be fulfilled to start accession talks with the EU.

The U.S. "continues to strongly support the EU’s enlargement process, and we look forward to supporting EU candidate and prospective candidate countries as they continue critical reforms on the path to EU membership," said Miller.

The council's decision will "offer hope and incentive to these countries and their people to continue reforms needed to advance their EU ambitions."

According to the European Commission's report from Nov. 8, Ukraine has fulfilled four of the seven criteria pertaining to two judicial reforms, the alignment of anti-money laundering legislation, and media reform.

In the intervening weeks, Ukraine passed further legislation in line with the three unfulfilled reform obligations.

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed into law on Dec. 8 three bills related to Ukraine's fight against corruption and the updated law on national minorities.

Read also: BREAKING: European Council agrees to open accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova


Georgia will fail as independent state outside EU: jailed ex-leader
Irakli METREVELI
Fri, December 15, 2023 at 2:18 AM MST·3 min read
9



Mikheil Saakashvili appeared at a court hearing in October 2023 via videolink from a clinic (IRAKLI GEDENIDZE)

Georgia's imprisoned opposition leader and former president Mikheil Saakashvili has warned that Tbilisi's failure to secure European Union membership would put at risk its very existence as an independent nation.

EU leaders announced Thursday that they decided to grant Georgia formal candidate status and while approving the opening of accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova.

The three ex-Soviet countries applied to join the bloc after the Kremlin unleashed its all-out war on Ukraine last year.

For Georgia, EU membership "is a matter of survival as an independent state", Saakashvili said in written remarks submitted to AFP on Thursday via his representative.

"Georgia could vanish as an independent state if it stays or is left behind in a grey zone," he wrote in English.

In 2022, the EU granted candidate status to Kyiv and Chisinau but told Tbilisi it had to first implement judicial and electoral reforms, improve press freedom and curtail the power of oligarchs.

Georgia, which was annexed by Russia in the 19th century and again -- after a short-lived period of independence -- in 1921, last saw Russian troops invade in 2008, during Saakashvili's time as president.

The five-day war 15 years ago marked the culmination of tensions with Moscow over Tbilisi's bid to forge closer ties with the West.

After France's president Nicolas Sarkozy mediated a ceasefire on behalf of the EU, Russia recognised as independent two breakaway regions in Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and stationed permanent miliary bases there.

Many in Georgia believe that EU membership would shield the Caucasian country from a new Russian aggression, fears of which grew after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

- 'Enhance democracy' -

In November, the European Commission recommended that EU leaders grant Georgia official candidate status -- with the caveat that the Tbilisi government introduces reforms.

According to Saakashvili, the main obstacle on Georgia's path to joining the 27-nation EU is its backsliding on democracy under the government run by the Georgian Dream party.

The party was founded by Georgia's richest man, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia and is widely seen as the man in charge in the country, despite having no official political role.

"Georgia exists in the situation of state seizure by a Russian oligarch," Saakashvili said. "Every single state institution is controlled by him and influenced by Russia through him."

Critics have accused the Georgian Dream government of covertly cooperating with the Kremlin and of derailing Georgia from its EU membership path, a claim rejected by Georgia's authorities.

They say membership in the European Union and NATO -- which is supported by around 80 percent of the population -- has been enshrined in the country's constitution under the Georgian Dream government.

- 'Putin must lose' -

Saakashvili said the EU realised that turning a blind eye to the nature of the oligarch-controlled regime in Tbilisi would backfire, so offering Georgia candidate status "may be used as an instrument to enhance democracy" there.

Georgia's integration into the EU would mean Russian President Vladimir Putin "loses", he said.

"Europe is getting on the other side of the Black Sea into what was traditionally regarded as Russia's backyard."

"If we want Europe to have a future, Putin must lose," he said.

Saakashvili, a flamboyant pro-Western reformer, was president of Georgia from 2004 to 2013 and subsequently went into exile in Ukraine, where he had served as a top advisor on reforms to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He was sentenced in absentia by a Georgian court to six years in prison on abuse of power charges that rights groups say were politically motivated, and was arrested on his return to his home country in 2021.

The 55-year-old has accused Georgian prison guards of mistreatment, and doctors have raised serious concerns over his health after he staged a 50-day hunger strike.

Zelensky has accused the Tbilisi government of "slowly killing" Saakashvili on Putin's orders and -- along with Poland and several European capitals -- demanded his release.

im/jbr/gil/js

EU approves Ukraine membership talks after Hungary's Orbán steps outside for coffee

Peter Weber, The Week US
Fri, December 15, 2023 

Hungary's Viktor Orban.

The European Union agreed Thursday to open accession talks with Ukraine, in a boost to Kyiv and a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but failed to approve 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in aid to Ukraine after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán vetoed the money. The EU also approved membership talks for Ukraine's neighbor Moldova and accepted Georgia as a candidate for joining the bloc.

Orbán, Putin's closest ally inside the EU, had threatened to block Ukraine's membership bid from advancing as well. But in a surprise move, he stepped outside the room to allow the other 26 EU leaders to approve Kyiv's upgrade to accession talks unanimously, as required under EU rules. That was German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's idea, Politico reported. "About three hours into deadlocked discussions," Scholz suggested that Orbán "grab a coffee outside the room, perhaps," and the Hungarian leader, already wavering in his opposition, agreed.

Orbán said on social media Thursday night that he had vetoed the funds to Ukraine and still disagreed with "this bad decision" on membership negotiations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — fresh off a disappointing trip to Washington, where Republicans refused to relent on blocking military aid without domestic concessions — celebrated the vote. "This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires and strengthens," he said on X, formerly Twitter. "History is made by those who don't get tired of fighting for freedom."

Ukraine and Moldova applied for EU membership after Russia invaded Ukraine. Putin has reacted poorly to previous efforts by Ukraine to move closer to Europe.

Ukraine is years away from gaining EU membership, and Orbán's advisers suggested he will throw up roadblocks later in the process. European Council President Charles Michel hailed the "historic moment" at an early Friday news conference and said the leaders would reconvene in "early January" to try again on the EU budget and Ukraine aid. If Hungary continues to stand in the way, "we have various tools in our toolbox to ensure that we deliver on our political promises," he added.

Ukraine, which is running low on ammunition and other military tools to continue fighting Russian invaders, "can withstand a small delay in the approval of the funds," The New York Times reports. The Senate still plans to work toward an agreement for aid to Ukraine and Israel, but the House has adjourned for the rest of the year.


EU approves start of Ukraine accession negotiations
The New Voice of Ukraine
Thu, December 14, 2023 


EU]

The European Council has voted to begin negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU, while also granting Georgia EU candidate status, European Council President Charles Michel announced via Twitter on Dec. 14.

“The European Council has decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine & Moldova,” said Michel.

Read also: Slovak PM Fico says Ukraine is not ready for EU negotiations

“A clear signal of hope for their people and for our continent.”

Read also: Austrian Chancellor opposes ‘preferential treatment’ for Kyiv in EU accession negotiations

Additionally, the president announced that the EU will start discussing membership with Bosnia and Herzegovina once the country the necessary criteria, with the European Commission expected to produce a report on the matter in March 2024.

Read also: Republicans will not support aid to Ukraine without national security package

Several media sources also said that Hungarian PM Viktor Orban abstained during the decision-making process, reportedly leaving the room when opening membership talks with Ukraine was discussed. Ahead of the summit, several leaders met with Orban. The European Commission also unlocked EUR 10 billion for Hungary, funds previously withheld due to concerns over the rule of law in the country.

During a briefing, Michel mentioned that negotiations over a financial aid package of EUR 50 billion ($55 billion) for Ukraine are still ongoing, NV's correspondent reported

The New Voice of Ukraine

Ukraine's Zelenskiy hails 'victory' after EU decision to open accession talks

Tom Balmforth and Yuliia Dysa
Updated Thu, December 14, 2023

Ukraine's Zelenskiy hails 'victory' after EU decision to open accession talks

By Tom Balmforth and Yuliia Dysa

(Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed a "victory" for Ukraine and the European continent on Thursday after European Union leaders agreed to open membership talks for Ukraine and Moldova despite months of opposition from Hungary about Kyiv joining.

The decision announced by European Council President Charles Michel on the first day of a summit in Brussels is a much-needed morale boost for Kyiv, which fears vital Western support has been waning as its war with Russia rages on with no end in sight.

"I thank everyone who worked for this to happen and everyone who helped. I congratulate every Ukrainian on this day... History is made by those who don't get tired of fighting for freedom," Zelenskiy wrote in a post on social media platform X.

In a separate post on X, the president added: "This is a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires, and strengthens."

Zelenskiy later issued a series of messages on Telegram, thanking Council President Michel for communicating the result personally and expressing gratitude to European leaders.

These included French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban before the result was announced.

He congratulated Moldovan President Maia Sandu on her country winning the right to launch talks and President Salome Zourabichvili on Georgia becoming a candidate for EU membership.

Kyiv residents were delighted at the EU summit outcome.

"Ukraine showed that it has qualities that make it different from our enemy," said Volodymyr, 63.

"When people don't like something, they express their will and change presidents. This movement is ceaseless since 2004, Ukraine was and is heading towards Europe."

It was not immediately clear what the fate was of a four-year 50 billion euro aid package that Kyiv hopes will also be agreed by EU leaders at the summit this week.

WARTIME MEMBERSHIP BID

Ukraine announced its wartime bid to join the EU days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

"This is an extremely important milestone on our common path to the unification of Europe... When we started it, no one believed we'd succeed. But we didn't care," Zelenskiy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said.

Kyiv has been racing to adopt legislative reforms in recent weeks to meet the criteria for launching talks, but had faced staunch opposition from Hungary's Orban.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said: "What a historic day! One emotion dominates: everything was not in vain."

Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna said: "(This) became possible only thanks to the strong will of all Ukrainians, our soldiers standing on the frontline."

Russia, which has occupied more than a sixth of Ukraine's territory, is a fierce opponent of Ukraine's push to join Western institutions like the NATO military alliance.

Moscow's troops seized and annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014 following mass protests in Kyiv that toppled a Russian-backed leader who had abandoned a push to sign an association agreement with the European Union.

Moldova, which lies between Ukraine and Romania, hailed the EU decision to open formal accession talks with it. Pro-Western President Sandu said Moldova would rise to the challenge and was committed to the "hard work" that lay ahead.

"Moldova turns a new page today with the EU's go-ahead for accession talks. We're feeling Europe's warm embrace today. Thank you for your support and faith in our journey," Sandu wrote on X.

(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa and Anna Voitenko; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Mark Heinrich and Rosalba O'Brien)

South Ossetia again mulls referendum on joining Russia, but even Moscow doesn’t seem keen

April 1, 2022
Marek Grzegorczyk


Russia appears to have little appetite for raising the stakes in South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia it recognised as independent in 2008 and which this week said is mulling a referendum on becoming part of Russia.

Moscow has been quick to play down the idea that the Georgian region of South Ossetia might soon vote to become part of the Russian Federation.

While not dismissing the notion out of hand, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on March 31 that he would not voice an opinion on South Ossetia’s plans to hold a referendum on the matter.

“No legal or any other action has been taken in this respect,” Peskov said. “But at the same time we treat the expression of the opinion of the people of South Ossetia with respect.”

Anatoly Bibilov, the de facto president of South Ossetia, usually referred to in Georgia as the Tskhinvali region, suggested this week that the separatist republic could hold a referendum on joining Russia after a presidential election in the region – which Bibilov is expected to win by a wide margin – on April 10.

“I believe that joining with Russia is our strategic goal, our path, our people’s wish,” said Bibilov. “We will take the relevant legislative steps shortly. The republic of South Ossetia will be part of its historical homeland – Russia.”

Bibilov’s spokesperson Dina Gassiyeva additionally told Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency that the region planned to hold a referendum and the decision was “linked with the window of opportunity that opened in the current situation” – a clear reference to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

South Ossetian forces have taken an active part in the invasion, with around 2,000 Russian and local troops based in the territory having been redeployed to Ukraine.

Georgia’s other Russian-backed region, Abkhazia in the northwest of the country, from where Russian troops have also been redeployed to Ukraine, was quick to rule out a similar move. It said that while it supported South Ossetia’s aspirations to become part of Russia, it did not share the same goal.

“Russia is our strategic partner, a dear and close state, but we in [Abkhazia] have no intention of joining the Russian Federation,” Valery Kvarchia, speaker of the region’s breakaway parliament.
Recognised only by Russia

South Ossetia, which has a population of around 50,000, engaged in an armed struggle for secession from 1989 to 1992. As in Abkhazia, the separatists were backed by Russia both politically and militarily.

The conflict remained largely frozen, with South Ossetia de facto independent from Tbilisi, until 2004, when Georgia’s then-president Mikheil Saakashvili vowed to reincorporate all of the country’s separatist territories.

In the coastal region of Adjara, which since the early 1990s had been the personal fiefdom of the staunchly pro-Russian Aslan Abashidze, this was achieved peacefully: Abashidze fled into exile (in Moscow) and Adjara now enjoys a great deal of autonomy and is one of the Georgia’s most prosperous regions.

Later in 2004 fighting broke out between Georgian forces and Ossetian separatists around the town of Tskhinvali, but Saakashvili did not force the issue again until 2008, when increased Russian military activity in the region led to new skirmishes.

In August 2008, Saakashvili ordered a full-scale military offensive which initially took control of significant parts of South Ossetia. Russian then declared war on Georgia, claiming some of its “peacekeepers” in the region had been killed. A brief, full-scale war ensued, in which hundreds were killed and Georgia was heavily defeated: its forces withdrew from South Ossetia (including from areas they had held prior to 2008), and for a brief period Russia occupied the Georgian towns of Gori and Zugdidi.

After a ceasefire ended the war, many ethnic Georgians were forced to flee the region. The territory today remains under Russian occupation and almost entirely dependent on Moscow, which exerts a decisive influence over its politics and governance. While Russia has recognised the independence of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia, only a handful of states have joined it in doing so: most of the world considers both territories to be part of Georgia.

‘Unacceptable’

Tbilisi has called the idea of South Ossetia holding a referendum “unacceptable”.

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said that South Ossetia was an “occupied territory” that belongs to Georgia, and that, “any referendum will have no legal force. The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the Georgian region is occupied by Russia.”

US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price meanwhile said that, “we will not recognise the results of any effort by Russia or its proxies to divide sovereign Georgian territory. We reaffirm our steadfast commitment to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.”

On March 30, Ukraine’s president, Volodymr Zelensky, recalled Kyiv’s ambassador in Tbilisi, suggesting he had not done enough to convince Georgia to punish Russia for its invasion. Ukraine’s ambassador to Morrocco was recalled for similar reasons.

In response, however, Zalkaliani said that Georgia was in “full compliance” with the financial sanctions imposed by the international community against Russia.

“The National Bank of Georgia has already made it clear that Georgia is complying with its obligations and international standards,” he said.

Irakli Kobakhidze, the leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party, said that Ukraine’s recall of its ambassador was “an insult”.

Kobakhidze said that Georgia had offered Ukraine “unwavering” support.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili later told CNN that the country was participating in “all kinds” of international financial sanctions.

“At the same time, we are participating in all the international resolutions that have been taken to support Ukraine. We share [with Ukraine] a common two-century history of Russian aggression and we know what that means,” added Zurabishvili.

South Ossetia has previously mulled holding a referendum on its status several times in the past, most recently in 2016. The plan was quietly dropped after failing to receive backing in Moscow.

Georgia’s South Ossetia plans to take steps to join Russia

Its separatist leader says the Moscow-backed breakaway region plans to take steps to become part of Russia.

Anatoly Bibilov said Georgia's Russia-backed breakaway

 region of South Ossetia 'will be part of its historical homeland'

 [File: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters]

Published On 31 Mar 202231 Mar 2022

The separatist leader of Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia says the Moscow-backed territory is planning to take steps in the near future to become part of Russia.

Russia recognised South Ossetia as an independent state in 2008 after fighting a short war with Georgia. It has provided the separatist region with extensive financial support, offered Russian citizenship to its population and stationed thousands of Russian troops there.

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South Ossetia holds polls amid slow recovery

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South Ossetia referendum is not legal

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Putin approves army deal with Georgia’s South Ossetia

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“I believe that unification with Russia is our strategic goal, our path, the aspiration of the people,” Anatoly Bibilov, the separatist leader of South Ossetia, was quoted as saying by the press service of the United Russia party.

“We will take the relevant legislative steps shortly. The republic of South Ossetia will be part of its historical homeland – Russia.”

Bibilov’s spokeswoman Dina Gassiyeva on Thursday told Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency that the region planned to hold a referendum and the decision was “linked with the window of opportunity that opened in the current situation”, referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Georgia’s reaction

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said on Thursday “it is unacceptable to speak of any referendums while the territory is occupied by Russia”.

“Such a referendum will have no legal force,” he told journalists. “The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the Georgian region is occupied by Russia.”

Also on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow has not taken any “legal” steps on the matter.

“But at the same time, we are talking about people of South Osseita expressing their opinion and we treat it with respect,” Peskov told reporters.

Meanwhile, Abkhazia, another Russian-backed breakaway region of Georgia, said on Wednesday it had no plans to join Russia.

“Russia is our strategic partner, a dear and close state, but we in the republic [of Abkhazia] have no intention of joining the Russian Federation,” parliamentary speaker Valery Kvarchia told Interfax news agency.

Another official from Abkhazia, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shamba, told the TASS news agency that the region supported South Ossetia’s aspirations but that it did not share its goal to join Russia.

‘We support Russia’

Separately, on Wednesday, South Ossetia’s former separatist leader Eduard Kokoity said that “hundreds of fighters” had joined Russia’s war in Ukraine, adding that they were treated as “cannon fodder”.

“I don’t doubt that the boys who already returned home could go back to the special operation zone and help complete the liberation of Donbas IF THEY FIND IT NECESSARY,” Kokoity wrote on Telegram on Wednesday according to reports by news outlet Ekho Kavkaza.

“But I’d like to emphasise that the organisation of their participation should be maximally responsible. We have to protect each life,” he wrote.

A day before he criticised Moscow for the deployment of South Ossetians in the region of Donbas, saying his people were not “cannon fodder”.

However, he was also clear on his support for Russia.

“We understand that if Russia loses, all of us will lose,” he was quoted by the Ekho Kavkaza website as saying. “No man in Ossetia says no. On the contrary, we say: ‘Yes, we support Putin, we support Russia.'”

South Ossetia and Abkhazia broke away from Georgia with Russian backing in the early 1990s as the Soviet Union collapsed. Moscow gained complete control over the two regions in 2008.

As in the Russian-speaking Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, Moscow has used recognition of the breakaway regions, and the awarding of citizenships, to maintain an armed presence in an area of the former Soviet Union that it sees as part of its natural sphere of influence.