News

President Saakashvili Speaking at NaUKMA

On February 26, former President of Georgia Mykhail Saakashvili met NaUKMA community.

 

President Saakashvili began his speech with greetings: “What happened and is happening in Ukraine now, is awe-inspiring. This is a grandiose event in history of the world, because Russian project of empire has incinerated in the flame of Maidan. During the last years, there was no idea besides the one that USSR is coming back. I envy you for being students of Kyiv-Mohyla Acdemy, as such a university could not exist in times of the Soviet Union. This is the place where Ukrainian self-consciousness is being formed, already in post-Soviet Ukraine”.

President Saakashvili emphasized that urgent changes are now necessary in Ukraine. He associated that with the problem of separatism and social demands of today: “If the reforms are implemented now, split can be avoided. The government must be formed, in order for people to see the difference between European society and Putin’s colony. Now there must not be any concession. People need to understand that they live in a different country.” To defeat corruption, the former President of Georgia advised to act at all levels of administration: “I personally said to my colleagues that we will imprison all who gives or takes bribes. We got rid of people who did not want to refuse bribery. If a minister takes a bribe, others will do the same; there can be only all corrupted or all clean”.

Finishing his speech, President Saakashvili said: “Without Ukraine, there cannot be true Europe, so its destiny is now being decided in Kyiv. The people of Ukraine must now impress the world by doing everything not “as usually”, but better. Then, Europe will change, you will change, we will change, and Russia will change as well”.

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