Georgia’s fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili, has outlined two possible scenarios for political change in the country—elections or protests ahead of elections. She made the remarks in an interview with Foreign Policy.
“There are only two scenarios that we know: elections and protests before you get to the elections. Another alternative is some form of rebellion, although this is not part of the Georgian tradition. But there must be some kind of resistance, and the resistance must be better supported from the outside,” Zurabishvili said.
She stressed that Georgia’s Western partners need to better understand the country’s current challenges.
“We are fighting Russia, which is fighting Georgia through hybrid means and soft power. I think our European and American partners should be worried about the fact that Russia is trying to see what it can achieve through soft power,” she noted.
When asked what she expects from the United States, Zurabishvili said Washington’s actions have been too slow.
“The Biden administration was talking about sanctions, people kind of got used to it. Sanctions work in Georgia because it is a small country and everyone knows everyone. But sanctions cannot be just one tool, and if you talk about them, then you have to use them, otherwise they become an empty threat,” she argued.
Zurabishvili also criticized the lack of strong political statements from the West regarding Georgia.
“There is a lack of statements that would say this is unacceptable. This is a government moving towards Russia. Georgia’s instability and return to Russia’s sphere poses a threat to Azerbaijan, Armenia, transit routes, and the Caucasus as a whole,” she warned.
Her message to US lawmakers, she said, is that Georgia requires urgent attention. “America and Europe are giving Georgia to Russia without even trying to do anything,” Zurabishvili concluded.
