The government did not release the president of Georgia to Ukraine

Illustrative photo

The government of Georgia announced on Wednesday that it did not give President Salome Zurabishvili permission to travel to Ukraine on August 22-24.

According to Georgian legislation, the president can make foreign visits only after the approval of the government.

On Wednesday, Zurabishvili's administration announced her tour of European countries in support of granting Georgia the status of a candidate for EU membership. It was planned that she would arrive in Germany on August 31 and meet with its president Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

However, the Georgian government said that it did not agree to a visit to Germany, as well as Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, Denmark, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, which were to take place during September-November. The list also mentioned Zurabishvili's unapproved visit to Ukraine on August 22-24.

Probably, her visit was connected with the summit of the Crimean Platform (where Zurabishvili spoke via video link) and celebrations for Ukraine's Independence Day.

Earlier on Wednesday, the executive secretary of the ruling party “Georgian Dream” Mamuka Mdinaradze told journalists that Zurabishvili violates the constitution by ignoring the government and acting independently, and called the president's criticism of the Georgian government “anti-European”.

Prepared by: Nina Petrovych