Shalva Papuashvili, Chairman of the Parliament, is commenting on an invitation of the Ukrainian authorities for him to visit the city of Bucha to observe the facts of the atrocities committed by Russian troops.

“It is impossible to describe in words the feeling you get when you see the atrocities in Bucha and other cities in Ukraine. Unfortunately, we know this feeling very well. Tomorrow, April 9, we will be reminded of this very feeling. And we know that this feeling requires sharing and justice.

That is why the Georgian authorities have appealed to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to launch an investigation into the war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine in order to identify and punish all the perpetrators.

That is why the Georgian Government uses all international platforms for the legal and political assessment of Russian aggression.

As for the invitation. I want the individual representatives of the Ukrainian Government to fully comprehend the strong support that the Georgian people and its Government show for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. This support and the partnership of our countries do not really deserve the attempt by the high-ranking officials of Ukraine to separate the Georgian people and its Government, the demand for the opening of a second front in Georgia, unfounded diplomatic demarches, baseless accusations of smuggling or making use of the ordeal that Ukrainians are going through. Against the background of these issues being unclear, the official invitation does not seem expedient.

We have said many times and I will repeat it again, the support of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people is our human and historical duty, and we will fulfill this duty, no matter how unfair and unfounded allegations we may hear in response”, - writes Shalva Papuashvili.