Asked about ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili’s appointment in Ukraine and Tbilisi’s request to extradite him, visiting senior U.S. Department of State official said in Tbilisi that Ukraine and Georgia “need each other” and should support each other in this “very important moment” in history of the both countries.

“Our understanding is that former President Saakashvili has been invited to be on a very broad international advisory committee that President Poroshenko is setting up,” U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, Victoria Nuland, told journalists in Tbilisi on February 17.

“I think you know that Ukraine is seeking for expertise and advice from a broad cross-section of experienced personalities in the international arena, who have worked hard on reform issues,” she said.

“With regard to the extradition request, I think it’s a request of Georgia to Ukraine and as such it’s a bilateral issue between those two countries and I won’t comment on it.”

“The comment I would make though is that this is a very, very important moment in both the history of Ukraine and the history of Georgia as you both seek to pursue path of Euro-Atlantic integration, integration and association with the European Union and I would call on all Georgians and all Ukrainians to support each other in this process; you all need each other,” said Nuland, who held meetings with the Georgian leadership and opposition representatives on February 17.