Georgian PM congratulates Ukraine on Independence Day, wishes it peace

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has congratulated Ukraine and its people on Independence Day.

In his congratulatory message, which has been posted by SOVA, an independent, Tbilisi-based, Russian-language online media outlet, Kobakhidze referred to the "historic friendship" between the Georgian and Ukrainian peoples and wished Ukraine peace.

"Happy Independence Day, Ukraine! The strong ties between our countries and peoples are rooted in historic friendship and shared values. I wish you peace, resilience and prosperity. Long live Ukraine!" he wrote.

Relations between Kyiv and Tbilisi have been extremely strained in recent years, partly because of the ruling Georgian Dream party's stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and its repeated accusations of alleged plans to "turn Georgia into a second front". Kyiv, for its part, accuses Tbilisi of helping Moscow circumvent international sanctions.

On 4 May, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Kobakhidze on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Armenia. That was the first meeting between Zelenskyy and Kobakhidze.

Following the meeting, Kobakhidze said that despite existing difficulties, the two countries retain a "very long history of friendship" and that the Georgian side is willing to do everything possible to normalise relations, both between the states and between the governments.

Zelenskyy said he sees prospects for a reboot of relations with Georgia.