Viktor Yushchenko: I am saddened for the Georgian nation and Misha - I understand that this is an episode, we will get over it and there will be the kind of Georgia we dream of

I am saddened for the Georgian nation and for Misha [Mikhail Saakashvili], the former President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko said in an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon.

According to the former president of Ukraine, today it is important for Ukraine to have such a friend as Georgia, and he thinks that there will be a government in Georgia that will be applauded.

"Today, it is so important to have a friend like Georgia in the East of Europe - not only the Baltic countries, not only the Poles, or the Czechs, or the British. Because we are the voice of Eastern Europe... this is important for them and for us. I understand that this is an episode, I understand that we will get through this and there will be the kind of Georgia that we dream of and the government will be there that we will applaud, but for today unfortunately, very unfortunately... I cannot comment on many such even human moments. I don't understand it," said Yushchenko.

The former president of Ukraine also noted that in 2007 he responded to the request of the Georgian president, Mikheil Saakashvili, to hand over weapons and handed over to Georgia "all the weapons that could be handed over from the requested".

"We well understood the reaction of Putin, Russia... However, the most valuable... historical relations between Ukrainians and Georgians cannot be betrayed, they should only be strengthened," said Yushchenko.