Commenting on the ruling party's election banners depicting destroyed buildings in Ukraine, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that they allegedly "exposed" the truth about what was happening. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry condemned the Georgian prime minister's statement, calling it another unfriendly statement. The head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, also reacted to the statement, UNN reports.
Details
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze commented on the election banners of the ruling Georgian Dream party, which depict destroyed buildings in Ukraine and restored buildings in Georgia, with inscriptions that read: "No to war! Choose peace!".
Kobakhidze said that the people of Georgia allegedly had no information about what was happening in Ukraine, and that the Mriya election banners "exposed" the truth about what was happening in Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemned the statement by Irakli Kobakhidze. They called such statements another attempt by the Georgian leadership to involve Ukraine in the internal political processes of their country on the eve of the parliamentary elections to be held on October 26.
"The persistent attempts of the current Georgian authorities to erase from the memory of Georgians the numerous crimes committed by Russia, which it has committed and continues to commit in the temporarily occupied territories of both Georgia and Ukraine, are surprising. The emergence of private Russian schools in Georgian cities, which are accredited in Russia, not only raises doubts about the quality of education, but also poses a threat of indoctrinating Georgian youth with racist propaganda.
We also call on those who wish to reveal the truth to explain to their own people why there are fewer interruptions in the supply of electricity and gas in Kherson, which was destroyed by the Russian occupiers, where critical infrastructure was deliberately destroyed, than in peaceful Tbilisi," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak also reacted to the statement of the Georgian Prime Minister.
"I am convinced that the Georgian people are well aware of the truth and that is why they support Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression," Yermak wrote on Telegram.
To recap
On September 26, Georgia's ruling party unveiled a series of election posters and a video calling on voters to "choose peace" and say "no to war." They contrast images of Ukrainian cities destroyed by Russian troops with images of churches, parks, and new buses in Georgia.
The campaign caused a flurry of criticism on social media. Georgian President Salome Zarabishvili called the new Georgian Dream election posters "made in the KGB forge.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Paweł Gerczynski calls Georgian Dream's election posters with destroyed Ukrainian cities outrageous and shameful.