You're reading: Poroshenko introduces Saakashvili as head of Odesa Regional Administration

ODESA - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has introduced former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili as head of Odesa Regional Administration.


According to a decree posted on the president’s website on Saturday on admission of Ukrainian citizenship to Saakashvili as a person the admission of Ukrainian citizen for whom is of Ukraine’s state interest, Saakashvili, born in Georgia and living in Kyiv, acquires Ukrainian citizenship.

‘Own words should be found for everyone in multinational Odesa region,’ Poroshenko said, addressing Saakashvili and repeated these words in several languages – Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian and Bulgarian.

“This is the person who is able to materialize ideas and who changed his country [Georgia] in the transparency, efficiency, anticorruption areas, attracting new investors, establishing fair court, protecting rights of citizens and democracy and whom I want to see in Ukraine – this is Mikheil Saakashvili,” he said, introducing the new head of Odesa Regional Administration to Odesa region officials.

He said that among Saakashvili’s tasks is fighting against corruption, the provision of transparency in work of customs agencies and protection of rights of citizens and democracy.

Poroshenko thanked Ihor Palytsia who had been head of Odesa Regional Administration since May 6, 2014 for stabilizing the situation in Odesa region after May 2, 2014.