Georgia's President Zourabichvili on EU Path, Russia, and Future Optimism

Leaving the Presidential Palace

• 🏛️ Salomé Zourabichvili explains her decision to leave the presidential palace was not about clinging to a building, but about maintaining popular support and international recognition.
• 🗣️ She emphasizes the importance of being on the streets with the people and advocating for Georgia's future on international platforms, even without executive powers.

Georgia's European Aspirations

• 🇪🇺 Zourabichvili sees herself as a symbol of Georgia's European path, driven by a belief in a common European future.
• 🇷🇺 She asserts that aligning with Europe is the only viable alternative for Georgia, contrasting it with the risk of falling back under Russian influence.
• ⚠️ The EU's assessment of Georgia as an "EU candidate in name only" is acknowledged as true, reflecting the current authorities' drift away from the European path.

Russia's Hybrid Warfare and EU Response

• ⚔️ Georgia is described as a test case for Russia's hybrid warfare, employing propaganda and electoral manipulation, similar to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
• 🌍 Zourabichvili stresses that the future of Georgia and Europe is intertwined with the outcome in Ukraine.
• 📢 She criticizes the international community's response as insufficient, noting that while statements were made, concrete measures were lacking, partly due to a fear of losing Georgia.

The Pro-European Majority

• 📊 Despite a perceived "terror regime," Zourabichvili believes there is still massive popular support for the European path in Georgia.
• 🚫 She argues that the occupation of 20% of the country and past Russian aggression make a return to Russia undesirable for any Georgian.
• 🤫 Understandable reasons like fear of propaganda, losing privileges, or imprisonment lead to silence, but do not indicate a pro-Russian majority.

Future Strategy and Personal Safety

• 🗳️ Turning the situation around will be achieved through peaceful means, primarily elections, with a commitment to not be naive and to demand more partner support against propaganda and election rigging.
• 🙏 Zourabichvili finds optimism in the risks taken by ordinary citizens on the streets, feeling more protected by her external contacts and internal popularity than many of them.