President Zourabichvili Criticizes Georgian Government and Calls for International Action
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, February 6, 2025
On February 5, following a meeting with EU ambassadors and four opposition political parties, President Salome Zourabichvili declared that the political situation in Georgia had reached a breaking point. In her statement, Zourabichvili emphasized that with the Georgian Dream (GD) government's decision to revoke the mandates of 49 opposition MPs, "political life in Georgia has effectively ended." She added that this move had eliminated any space for political discourse and that the constitution, along with basic rights such as freedom of expression and assembly, no longer held meaning.
Zourabichvili called for international pressure on the GD government to ensure new elections are held. She likened the GD's actions to a "Russian-style regime," stressing that as repression has resumed in Georgia, Western partners must respond with firm pressure. "There is no country or historical example where a regime is completely isolated from its population and its partners yet continues to rule in this way," she said, highlighting the government's inevitable downfall.
The President also criticized recent laws introduced by the GD party, calling them repressive measures that target the opposition and restrict freedoms. She condemned the government's foreign policy, stating that it no longer exists in any meaningful way, with recent diplomatic visits reduced to empty gestures. Zourabichvili pointed out that while the GD government has promoted a $6 billion investment deal with EMAAR Properties in the UAE as a breakthrough, the specifics of the investment remain unclear, and the economy has come to a standstill. "The economy has been halted, investment has been suspended, and there's no clear direction," she remarked.
Zourabichvili also addressed the recent purges within the Georgian Public Broadcaster, urging the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to take action to stop internal repression. She condemned the politicization of the Ministry of Defense, declaring that silencing dissent within the armed forces is unacceptable. In a message to the military, Zourabichvili assured them that she would always stand by their side, supporting their right to defend Georgia as an independent, sovereign nation.
