Saakashvili Update: Polish Doctors See Former President of Georgia

Poland has dispatched its doctors to examine the former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili. The Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, made this announcement via Twitter on Wednesday, July 12.

“We don’t abandon friends in need.”

“At my request, a team of Polish doctors from the Medical and Humanitarian Assistance Group has commenced a comprehensive medical examination of the ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili in Georgia,” the Polish Prime Minister announced.

On Wednesday, July 13 the news of European Union doctors being granted access was confirmed by Dito Sadzaglishvili, the former president’s lawyer . In a statement to AFP, he mentioned that after a six-month delay, “the Georgian government has granted permission for Polish doctors to examine Saakashvili.”

The confirmation of Polish specialists being allowed to examine Saakashvili came from Malgozata Gosiewska, the Deputy Marshal of the Polish Sejm. Speaking to the PAP news outlet, she explained that the Georgian government had previously agreed to permit Polish experts to visit the ex-president, but the process was postponed for various reasons.

“Thanks to the efforts of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, we were able to involve all EU prime ministers in these efforts [to get doctors to Saakashvili]. It was international pressure that led to the final agreement to examine Saakashvili,” Gosiewska emphasized.

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The treatment plan for the ailing former president of Georgia will be determined based on the findings of the medical commission’s report. Gosiewska emphasized that her country advocates for “Saakashvili to receive treatment in the future in a Polish clinic.”

The former Georgian President made his first appearance at a court session on July 3 in an online format after a prolonged hiatus. A video presented during the session showed Saakashvili has lost weight to the point of emaciation during his incarceration. Throughout his imprisonment, he went on a hunger strike eight times. Currently, Saakashvili is receiving treatment at a local clinic.

President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon the Georgian Ambassador Giorgi Zakarshvili in Kyiv and request his return to Tbilisi for consultations with the Georgian authorities regarding Saakashvili.

The decision made by Ukraine was met with an unfavorable response from the Georgian authorities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia reacted harshly, considering Ukraine’s decision not only “incomprehensible” but also an “extreme escalation of diplomatic relations.”

The Georgian ministry asserted that Ukraine’s action significantly damages the strategic relations between the two nations and constitutes a direct interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state. Nonetheless, they expressed hope that Kyiv would reconsider its position.

Saakashvili, who was detained in Georgia on October 1, 2021, faces multiple criminal cases, including one related to the 2005 attack on former Georgian lawmaker Valery Gelashvili.

Following a trial held in absentia, Saakashvili was sentenced to six years in prison.