Georgia reiterates full solidarity with Ukraine over tension with Russia

By Davit Kachkachishvili

TBILISI, Georgia (AA) - Georgia on Friday reiterated full solidarity with Ukraine over the threat of hostilities with Russia.

At a press conference in the capital Tbilisi, President Salome Zourabichvili said she was expressing not just solidarity, but “full solidarity” with Georgia's fellow Warsaw Pact state.

Referring to the 2008 South Ossetia Conflict between the Russian Federation and Georgia, she expressed hope that Ukraine would not have to face what Georgia did.

Such actions by Russia would yield nothing, as today’s world is different, Zourabichvili said.

She added that the tension between Ukraine and Russia should be defused through dialogue.

Russia recently amassed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine’s eastern border, prompting fears that the Kremlin could be planning another military offensive against its former Soviet neighbor.

Moscow has denied that it is preparing to invade and said its troops are there for exercises. It has also issued a list of security demands, including that Ukraine does not join NATO.