Healthcare Ministers of Georgia, Ukraine Meet in Kiev

Georgian healthcare minister Davit Sergeenko, who is visiting Kiev, met on April 27 his Ukrainian counterpart Alexander Kvitashvili, who held the same post in Georgia in 2008-2010.
 
“We expressed our readiness to continue cooperation in terms of providing humanitarian assistance – be it medical supplies or hosting injured [Ukrainian servicemen] for rehabilitation or Ukrainian children [on Georgian resorts],” said Sergeenko, who is in Kiev for participation in the International Support for Ukraine Conference on April 28.

In September, 2014 Georgia sent 12 tons of humanitarian aid, mainly medical supplies, to Ukraine. Also in September Georgia hosted in Anaklia on the Black Sea coast 110 children from conflict affected areas of eastern Ukraine.

Kvitashvili, who is one of those several former Georgian officials invited to serve in the Ukrainian government, thanked Georgia for its humanitarian support last year, which made Georgia in the list of top five donors of humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

In a press release on its website, the Ukrainian Healthcare Ministry described the meeting of the two ministers as “unique”, mentioning that Kvitashvili is native of Georgia and Sergeenko has ethnic Ukrainian background.

In a separate development, it was reported on April 27 that one more former Georgian official was appointed on an official post in Ukraine.

Gizo Uglava, who was Georgia’s deputy chief prosecutor in 2010-2012, became one of the two deputies of head of Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Bureau. Up until recently Uglava was a practicing lawyer in Georgia and managing partner at the Tbilisi-based law firm LCS; he was one of the defense lawyers of ex-mayor of Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava, who is in pre-trial detention since July, 2014.

In February President Poroshenko appointed Georgia’s ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili, who is wanted by the Georgian law enforcement agencies, as his adviser and head of the International Advisory Council on Reforms.

Among other former Georgian officials, who now serve as senior Ukrainian officials are: Eka Zguladze, Georgia’s former deputy interior minister, who is now Ukraine’s deputy interior minister; ex-MP from UNM party and Georgia’s former deputy chief prosecutor Davit Sakvarelidze, who was appointed as deputy general prosecutor of Ukraine; Gia Getsadze is Ukraine’s Deputy Justice Minister.