Saakashvili gives up Georgian citizenship for Ukraine

Georgian ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili says he is giving up Georgian citizenship as he becomes governor of Ukraine's Odessa region

Mr Saakashvili has told the BBC that a Georgian passport meant "guaranteed imprisonment" there as the authorities pursued criminal charges against him.

The ex-leader was appointed unexpectedly by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Saturday.
He is credited with radical reforms in Georgia but accused of abuse of power.

Mr Saakashvili left Georgia after his term as president ended in 2013. He denies the charges against him, which he says are politically motivated.

The former president, who has been granted Ukrainian citizenship, speaks basic Ukrainian and was recently said to have sung the national anthem with a group of Odessa schoolchildren.

In a BBC interview, Mr Saakashvili said he could not currently go back home.

"The reality is for me today that the Georgian passport means guaranteed imprisonment for me in Georgia," he said.

He added that the governorship was important because Odessa was a "frontline" both against local corruption and against perceived Russian aggression in the region.

"If Odessa ever falls, God forbid, then Georgia might be wiped out from the map," he said.

Mr Poroshenko chose him because he understood the need for radical reform and knew he would take a hard line on corruption and organised crime, Mr Saakashvili added.