Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili delivered a speech to the European Parliament on December 18.
In her speech, Salome Zurabishvili compared the current events in Georgia to the Soviet occupation of 1921.
“This is a crucial time, because in some days and moments we feel like we are in 1921 and everything is repeating itself. This explains the courage with which the Georgian people are reacting today to what they see as the deprivation of freedom, future and independence,” Salome Zurabishvili said.
She spoke about the 21 days of protests in Georgia and said that the protest movement has now encompassed the entire society. She also noted that the protests began earlier, after the first initiation of the Russian law.
“There have never been large-scale protests in Georgia over social issues. There could be many reasons for this, because the situation is not very satisfactory. But the only time when people in Georgia take to the streets is when they feel that an existential issue is at stake. This is a very peaceful, civil disobedience movement that demands two things: give us back the votes taken away due to the stolen elections and give us back our European future. This is not a revolutionary movement, this is a demand for new elections. There was an attempt to present a move towards civil confrontation. There are not two sides in Georgia: on one side are the Georgian people, on the other side is the repressive apparatus of one party,” Salome Zurabishvili said.
The president noted that the ruling party, which is taking the path of Russia, sometimes has to pretend that it is returning to the European path, because more than 80% of the Georgian population supports joining the European Union.
Salome Zurabishvili said that perhaps she herself did not clearly see the Russian path of the Georgian Dream, which began with the Gavrilov incident in 2019 and accelerated after the 2024 elections.
“The construction of the Russian state is something that happens gradually. All institutions are under the control of one party,” the president noted.
Salome Zurabishvili spoke about the election fraud that began long before the election day and the Russian-style propaganda of the Georgian Dream.
“There was no police presence during the elections. I personally saw the violence that was taking place in some districts and precincts. I called the Minister of Internal Affairs and I did not get an answer either on my mobile phone or through the government network. I did not contact his deputy and he has not called me back to this day. There are no courts to adjudicate violations and complaints,” Salome Zurabishvili said.
She claimed that two main principles were violated in the elections: universality, as more than a million members of the diaspora were not given the opportunity to participate in the elections, and the principle of vote secrecy.
Zurabishvili claimed that Georgia is under complete control of a single-party or one-man rule, and only the opposition media, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the presidency remain outside of this control.
“At this point, Georgia is under complete control of a single-party or one-man rule, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the two. What remains outside of this control are the opposition media, which are in dire financial straits, likely due to orchestrated pressure; non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which are under constant threat, particularly with the introduction of the Russian law and its anticipated implementation; and the presidency – after two impeachment attempts, I will lose my security protection in just a week’s time,” Salome Zurabishvili said.
The president also spoke about the repressive legislative amendments adopted by the Georgian Dream.
Zurabishvili noted that Georgians are not going to accept Russification and will not stop until they receive new free and fair elections, although they need Western help.
“First of all, this also concerns the credibility of Europe. Europe cannot allow a country that has just received candidate status to violate all democratic norms and its fundamental principles. It is also a matter of Europe’s strategic interests. Georgia was, is and I am sure will be a bulwark for the West and Europe in the region. Russia is also trying to take it over, because Russia remembers the saying of its imperial generals that whoever owns Tbilisi owns the Caucasus. This has not changed for Russia.
If Georgia falls under Russian control — I am not referring to military intervention, I am talking about electoral and constitutional intervention — the price will be very high. This concerns the security of the Black Sea. This concerns everything related to the connection with Central and Southeast Asia. This concerns the European future of Armenia. So, there is much more at stake than just Georgia and just Georgian democracy,” Salome Zurabishvili said, adding that Russia is testing a cheaper form of intervention in Georgia.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, speaking at the European Parliament, called for active steps to be taken against the Georgian Dream.
“While European flags are banned in Tbilisi, Georgians are still waiting for tough measures from Brussels and Washington. And I hope we will not have to wait for a deeper crisis for Europe to act. What can Europe do? First of all, political support. We need constant political attention from the highest levels, because Georgians need to know that they are not alone and that we have your back,” she said.
