President Salome Zourabichvili Addresses Georgia's Crisis and U.S. Policy at Atlantic Council Event
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, January 23, 2025
On January 21, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili participated in an Atlantic Council event, where she discussed the current situation in Georgia, Russia's influence in the country, and her expectations for U.S. policy under the new Trump administration.
Zourabichvili explained that when she met several members of the new U.S. cabinet, her "essential message" to them was that Georgia needs U.S. attention "now more than ever." She described the ongoing crisis in Georgia as "existential."
The president emphasized that U.S. policy toward Georgia has "always been bipartisan," suggesting that she does not expect any significant changes under the Trump administration. She also pointed out that the current Georgian government no longer has functioning institutions. Zourabichvili added, "I don't see any American government that can accept as a friend and partner a country like that that is playing friends with sometimes the Chinese, sometimes Iran, sometimes some of the terrorist groups."
Zourabichvili praised Trump's vision for a "strong America" and said that Georgia needs more action than words. "I think that the America that he [Donald Trump] is describing, and the foreign policy of America that he is describing as of a strong America. America that is effective and active in action - that is the America that Georgia certainly needs," she said.
Zourabichvili also criticized Georgian Dream (GD) for seeking "alternatives" to its traditional American and European partners, turning to Russia, China, and Iran instead. "That's a big mistake," she stated.
On Russia's role, Zourabichvili said, "Russia is trying to recuperate its positions in the region." She suggested that as Georgia's European integration had accelerated, Moscow had increased pressure on the Georgian Dream party, and its rhetoric toward Western partners had become "more aggressive" following Georgia's EU candidate status.
Regarding the ongoing protests, Zourabichvili explained that the GD's decision to leave the EU path was a "miscalculation." She mentioned that the GD had thought they could provoke a new movement with small protests after the elections but failed to suppress it as planned. "I think the regime's dissolution has started," she said, noting that the protests show no signs of stopping. She warned that the country could suffer from the economic impact of sanctions and isolation as the regime's downfall unfolds.
