Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has ruled out the possibility of extraditing former President Mikheil Saakashvili to Ukraine or transferring him to a third country.
On the air of the “Free Territory” program of the Adjarian Public Television, Kobakhidze commented on the statements of the Ukrainian President’s Advisor, Mikhail Podoliak.
“There is no chance of extraditing Saakashvili. Everything is obvious here, including what kind of good faith we are dealing with. When such people talk about Saakashvili’s transfer, we, of course, cannot take such statements seriously,” Kobakhidze said.
On November 16, Podoliak said in an interview with the “Pirveli” TV channel that the issue of Saakashvili’s transfer is “actively being developed” and is on the Ukrainian agenda.
On November 14, Saakashvili appealed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from prison, asking to include his name in the list of prisoners exchanged during the Russo-Ukrainian war. The appeal came after he was returned to jail from the Vivamed clinic on November 12.
Mikheil Saakashvili has been in a Georgian prison since October 2021, when he was arrested shortly after returning to the country. During his imprisonment, his health condition deteriorated sharply. Since May 2022, he has been receiving treatment at the Vivamed clinic in Tbilisi.
