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2.2 Georgia president warns against Ukraine appointing Saakashvili as deputy PM
President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili has said in a statement that appointing Georgian ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili as a deputy prime minister in Ukraine ”might put the long-term relations between Georgian and Ukraine at stake”.
She added that given that it was not acceptable to interfere in the internal affairs of another country, the selection of a criminal for the post was “incomprehensible.”
“[O]ur partner country is now considering a candidate for a high political position who was found guilty by the courts of all three instances in Georgia. It should be noted that this has naturally caused concern for the Georgian government and society,” the president’s statement read.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered the former Georgian leader the seat of deputy PM in charge of reform.
But the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has withdrawn the issue of making the appointment from the agenda of the parliament (Verkhovna Rada), Georgia Today reported quoting Ukrainian media.
Instead, Ukrainian officials may offer Saakashvili, also a former governor of Odessa region, the opportunity to join the National Reform Council, Inter Press News said, citing a Ukrainian media report.
2.3 EU proposes 3bn aid to ten neighbouring countries to tackle coronavirus-related crisis
The European Commission said on April 22 it has adopted a proposal for a €3bn macro-financial assistance (MFA) package to ten enlargement and neighbourhood countries that would help them deal with the economic consequences from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The sum will be distributed to Albania (€180mn), Bosnia & Herzegovina (€250mn), Georgia (€150mn), Jordan (€200mn), Kosovo (€100mn), Moldova (€100mn), Montenegro (€60mn), North Macedonia (€160mn), Tunisia (€600mn) and Ukraine (€1.2bn).
“Supporting our neighbours is essential during this time of crisis to keep the entire region stable. As part of the EU's global response to the coronavirus pandemic, we need to help our neighbouring countries to cushion the worst of its economic impact. These ‘crisis MFA programmes' will assist 10 countries in ensuring macro-economic stability and protecting their people and companies during the crisis,” Valdis Dombrovskis, EC Executive Vice-President for An Economy that Works for People, said in the statement.
The MFA funds will be made available for 12 months in the form of loans on highly favourable terms, the statement added. The ten countries will use the funds to cover their immediate, urgent financing needs.
8 GEORGIA Country Report May 2020 www.intellinews.com
