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Saakashvili resigns from post of Odessa region governor

Ex-president of Georgia has been governor of Ukraine's Odessa region since May 2015
Mikheil Saakashvili  Arkhip Vereshchagin/TASS
Mikheil Saakashvili
© Arkhip Vereshchagin/TASS

KIEV, November 7. /TASS/. Governor of Ukraine’s Odessa region Mikheil Saakashvili announced his resignation on Monday.

"I have made a decision to resign and start a new chapter, a new round of struggle," the ex-governor told reporters during a briefing. 

"I’m tired, I have never been deceived so many times before, especially so cynically."

He said the reason behind his resignation was widespread corruption in the region that prevented him from reaching his political goals.

The Odessa region police chief, Georgy Lortkipanidze, who is one of key members of the ex-governor’s political team, tendered his resignation earlier in the day.

Saakashvili was the president of Georgia in 2004-2013. He received the Ukrainian citizenship in May 2015 and was appointed the governor of Ukraine’s Odessa region the same year. He was stripped of his Georgian citizenship in 2015.