Civil Georgia
December 13, 2014
Georgia’s Ex-Deputy Interior Minister Set to Take Same Post in Ukraine
Tbilisi: Eka Zguladze, who served as Georgia’s deputy interior minister under ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration, is expected to become a second former Georgian official to take senior government post in Ukraine after ex-healthcare minister Alexander Kvitashvili took the same post in Ukraine earlier this month.
Ukrainian Interior Minister, Arsen Avakov, wrote on Facebook on December 12 that President Petro Poroshenko welcomed his request for granting Ukrainian citizenship to Zguladze. Avakov also wrote that after finalizing formal procedures over citizenship next week, he would ask the cabinet to appoint Zguladze as first deputy interior minister.
Zguladze, 36, held the post of deputy interior minister in Georgia in 2006-20012.
Appointment of former Georgian officials, who served under ex-president Saakashvili’s administration, in the Ukrainian government has not been welcomed in Tbilisi.
Commenting on possible appointment of Zguladze as Ukraine’s deputy interior minister, leader of the Georgian Dream majority group in Parliament, MP Davit Saganelidze, said: “Ukraine, which I love so much, really deserves better ministers.”
“No matter how much we try not to notice, it will anyway stain to some extent relations [between Georgia and Ukraine],” GD MP Saganelidze said.
When consultations about forming the new government were still ongoing among Ukrainian politicians, reports emerged in late November about possible nomination of ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili, who is facing criminal charges in Georgia and is wanted by the Georgian authorities, as Ukraine’s deputy prime minister; Saakashvili said at the time that he declined the offer as he did not want to lose Georgian citizenship by obtaining Ukrainian one.
Asked about the issue, PM Irakli Garibashvili said at a news conference on December 9 that even the fact that possible appointment of a person, who is wanted by Georgia, was discussed by the Ukrainian authorities is “regrettable.” Garibashvili also said that “work is underway to prepare” his visit to Ukraine either in January or February.
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