Former Georgian president and leader of the Movement of New Forces party Mikhail Saakashvili has the right to obtain a Dutch citizenship and residence permit, since he is married to a Dutch citizen, Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Halbe Zijlstra said on Friday.

"He is married to a Dutch citizen, and according to the Dutch legislation he can apply for and get a [Dutch] passport," the Dutch television and radio company NOS quoted the minister as saying.

Saakashvili is married to 48-year-old Sandra Roelofs, who is a native of Terneuzen, the Netherlands. The couple has two sons.

Saakashvili earlier said several European countries offered him to acquire their citizenship, but he intended to defend his right to hold a Ukrainian passport.