Georgian PM congratulates Ukraine on Independence Day, wishes it peace

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has congratulated Ukraine and its people on Independence Day.

Source: a congratulatory message by Irakli Kobakhidze, which has been posted by SOVA, an independent, Tbilisi-based, Russian-language online media outlet, as reported by European Pravda

Details: In his congratulatory message, Kobakhidze referred to the "historic friendship" between the Georgian and Ukrainian peoples and wished Ukraine peace.

Quote: "Happy Independence Day, Ukraine! The strong ties between our countries and peoples are rooted in historic friendship and shared values. I wish you peace, resilience and prosperity. Long live Ukraine!"

More details: Relations between Kyiv and Tbilisi have been extremely strained in recent years, partly because of the ruling Georgian Dream party's stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and its repeated accusations of alleged plans to "turn Georgia into a second front". Kyiv, for its part, accuses Tbilisi of helping Moscow circumvent international sanctions.

Background:

• On 4 May, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Kobakhidze on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Armenia. That was the first meeting between Zelenskyy and Kobakhidze.
• Following the meeting, Kobakhidze said that despite existing difficulties, the two countries retain a "very long history of friendship" and that the Georgian side is willing to do everything possible to normalise relations, both between the states and between the governments.
• Zelenskyy said he sees prospects for a reboot of relations with Georgia.

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