Former
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, a fugitive from justice in his
home country, has officially been appointed governor of the Odessa
region by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, local media has
confirmed.
The
Ukrainian president arrived in Odessa on Saturday for a working visit
along with the new governor. Speaking before reporters, Poroshenko
characterized Saakashvili as the "independent, decisive person who
changed Tblisi," adding that among the new governor's main tasks will be
the 'deoligarchization' of Ukraine. He noted that Saakashvili was "a
friend since my student years. I remember him as a strong-willed and
determined person, and I have every reason to trust him."
Saakashvili officially received his Ukrainian citizenship on Friday.
His connection to Ukraine is not entirely tenuous; he had graduated
from the Institute of International Relations of the National University
of Kiev in 1992, and had briefly served with the Soviet Border Troops
at Kiev's Boryspil Airport in 1989-1990. Earlier this year, Poroshenko
had appointed him the chairman of Ukraine's International Council
on Reforms, a group of foreign advisors ostensibly tasked with helping
the country in carrying out its political and economic reforms.
Saakashvili, disgraced in his home country, was forced to flee Georgia in 2013, after the Georgian Prosecutor's Office launched a criminal case against him. The charges leveled against him include abuse of power, misappropriation of funds and over $5 million in embezzlement charges. Georgia has repeatedly asked Ukraine to extradite Saakashvili. The former president is also known for his failed invasion of the breakaway region of South Ossetia in August, 2008, which coincided with the Beijing Summer Olympics and prompted a decisive military response from Russia. The disastrous conflict prompted Russia's official recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.
Saakashvili had vaguely hinted at his imminent appointment on Friday night:
Saakashvili, disgraced in his home country, was forced to flee Georgia in 2013, after the Georgian Prosecutor's Office launched a criminal case against him. The charges leveled against him include abuse of power, misappropriation of funds and over $5 million in embezzlement charges. Georgia has repeatedly asked Ukraine to extradite Saakashvili. The former president is also known for his failed invasion of the breakaway region of South Ossetia in August, 2008, which coincided with the Beijing Summer Olympics and prompted a decisive military response from Russia. The disastrous conflict prompted Russia's official recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.
Saakashvili had vaguely hinted at his imminent appointment on Friday night:
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