Chairman of the Georgian Parliament responds to the Ukrainian Rada Speaker Rulan Stefanchuk.

“Dear Ruslan, Yes, indeed, words should be weighed before being spoken.

This is why President Zelensky should have weighed the statement before he effectively expelled Georgia’s ambassador to Ukraine, as it remains unchanged to this day. This was the very ambassador who stayed in bombarded Kyiv until the very end, even when all the other countries had closed their embassies and left the city.

This is why President Zelensky should also have weighed the decision to recall Ukraine’s ambassador from Georgia when the Georgian government refused to send volunteers to Ukraine through state mobilization and to become directly involved in the war.

This is why he should have weighed the statement in which he accused the Georgian authorities of torturing Saakashvili and attempting to kill him, just as he should have weighed his earlier decision to give refuge to the Georgian dictator.

This is why President Zelensky should have weighed the decision to declare Georgia’s Prime Minister and members of the government persona non grata, especially when it was this very government that sheltered tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees and provided them with safe haven.

This is why various Ukrainian delegations’ support for hostile resolutions and decisions against the Georgian people, at international forums, also did require careful consideration. Precisely the opposite behavior would have been what you call decent and what Georgian delegations do with regard to Ukraine without prompting. I am sure you will scrutinize the list of UN Resolution voting countries to see who followed your decency standard.

Finally, this is why the statements by Ukrainian government representatives directly calling for Georgia to enter the war should likewise have been weighed.

So, yes, had the Ukrainian authorities weighed their words and actions toward the Georgian people each time, neither my assessment nor your response would have been necessary. Georgia has shown exceptional solidarity toward the Ukrainian people because of the historical experience we ourselves have endured. This experience has not been concluded for us yet either. Precisely because we are still in fight, we expect all foreign governments to weigh their words regarding Georgia just as carefully as you expect others to do so when it comes to Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities cannot be an exception.

Responding to friendship with attacks and slander can be considered expression of neither dignity nor gratitude. Friendship is mutual, and, in this friendship, Georgia has been upright”, - writes Shalva Papuashvili.