Georgian opposition protests against position of country`s  authorities on situation around Ukraine

ArmInfo. Against the backdrop of large-scale hostilities in Ukraine, the Georgian opposition presented a number of political demands to the country's authorities,  the main of which is the resignation of Prime Minister Irakli  Garibashvili.

The conditions were announced at a protest rally in the center of  Tbilisi on March 1, which was joined by hundreds of people who  consider Tbilisi's position on the Ukrainian crisis unacceptable,  News-Georgia reports.  "First, Irakli Garibashvili must leave:  Second, we must take concrete, effective steps to help Ukraine. Our  third demand is that Georgia apply for EU membership immediately  after they leave," leader of "Droa" party Elene Khoshtaria said at  the rally.

She stressed that these demands were agreed upon by "all social  groups and all parties" and they will work together to achieve their  implementation.

After Khoshtaria's address, the rally participants began to chant  "Leave!" to Prime Minister Garibashvili.

Actions in support of Ukraine have been going on in Tbilisi and other  cities of Georgia since February 24, but so far they have never been  political. Today's rally was the first time opposition leaders took  the stage.

It should be noted that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on  March 1 said that due to the Georgian government's refusal to send  volunteers to Ukraine on a charter flight and the "immoral position"  of the Georgian government in connection with sanctions against the  Russian Federation, Ukraine recalled its ambassador from Georgia for  consultations.

Chairman of the Georgian Dream Irakli Kobakhidze and head of the  government administration Ilya Darchiashvili responded to the recall  of the official Kyiv of the Ukrainian ambassador from Tbilisi for  consultations.

"There is an attempt to directly involve Georgia in a military  conflict here in Georgia. This very unfortunate decision of the  Ukrainian authorities, to put it mildly, is an expression of this  coordinated action," the chairman of the Georgian Dream said.  According to him, against the background of the ongoing war in  Ukraine, taking into account that Georgia has expressed its support  for Ukraine, the decision to recall the ambassador is "absolutely  unacceptable, unjustified."

The position of Irakli Kobakhidze was repeated by head of the  Government Administration Ilya Darchiashvili, who stated that  "attempts and provocations to drag Georgia into the war do not stop,  in which the destructive opposition and the National Movement are  directly involved."

According to him, "the purpose of this is to start hostilities on the  territory of our country. This is a controlled process by the  destructive opposition and its representatives both in Tbilisi and in  Kyiv."

According to Darchiashvili, the "demonstrative attempt" to send  volunteers on a charter flight to Ukraine yesterday "could be  perceived as Georgia's indirect participation in hostilities." And  the Georgian Foreign Ministry expressed regret in connection with  this step of Kyiv.