On 11 June, the Ukrainian ambassador to Georgia Igor Dolgov was summoned to the Georgian Foreign Ministry following statements given by Georgia’s former President and current head of Ukraine’s Executive Reform Committee Mikheil Saakashvili on the upcoming elections in Georgia.

Saakashvili stated that he would “not quietly watch the destruction of Georgia” and that he would be “fighting on the front line” against the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili. He urged the opposition in Georgia to be united in the fight against the current government “as the upcoming parliamentary elections in the autumn are decisive.” 

Following this statement, Georgia’s Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said that the Georgian government expected Saakashvili to continue interfering in the country’s internal issues and had warned Ukraine about the impact of these actions. “This is exactly the issue that led us to take a very serious approach, that’s why we recalled our ambassador in Ukraine for consultations,” he said.

Following the meeting, Dolgov said “Saakashvili is not an official in Ukraine, he is not a Georgian citizen, but he is Georgian and will never stop being Georgian.” “Georgia is an important part of his life. Georgia is in his heart. We don’t need special notes to talk to each other, we are strategic partners. A phone call is enough or a meeting if need be. The issue of Saakashvili is on the agenda,” he added.

On 7 May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Georgia’s former President Mikheil Saakashvili as the head of the Executive Reform Committee. After the decision was made public, Sharashenidze was summoned to Tbilisi for political consultations. Georgia’s diplomatic gesture sparked negative reactions from Ukrainian authorities. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Georgia not to make bilateral relations dependent on the Ukrainian reform process. Zelensky stated that Georgia’s diplomatic move was a “mistake” (Caucasus Watch reported).