Zourabichvili Urges Europe: Will You Speed up the Transition or Will You Let it Prolong Throughout Winter?
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili delivered a speech, addressing the European Parliament, calling on Europe to intensify its support for Georgia amid rising political tensions and civic unrest.
"The only time when people in Georgia massively take to the streets is when they feel it's an existential question - and that is the case today," Zourabichvili declared.
"This is a very peaceful, massive civil disobedience movement demanding two things: 'Give me my voice back,' due to the stolen elections, and 'Give me my European future back,' by calling for new elections."
Rejecting claims of internal division, she asserted, "There are no two parts of Georgia. There are the Georgian people on one side and the repressive apparatus of one party on the other."
Zourabichvili framed Georgia's future as a critical strategic issue for Europe, highlighting the nation's historical role as a geopolitical buffer against Russian expansion.
"It's about Europe's strategic interest. Georgia is, has been, and, I'm sure, will be the Wests and Europe's foothold in the region. One that Russia is trying to take over because Russia remembers its imperial times and its generals who used to say - that who holds Tbilisi, holds the Caucasus. And that, for Russia, hasn't changed."
The Georgian president stated in her speech that "Europe has not fully lived to the moment."
"Europe has, so far, met the challenge halfway. The last Foreign Affairs Council meeting was a first step, but much more can and should be done," she emphasized.
Zourabichvili concluded her address with a direct challenge: "The question I came here to ask is simple - will you speed up the transition, or will you let it prolong through the winter? Georgians will not waiver, but they expect Europe to step up so we can defend Europe and its values together," Zourabichvili said.
