President Zurabishvili: Russia Failed to Divert Georgia From Euro-Atlantic Path
By Tea Mariamidze
Wednesday, April 3
In the interview with the German media outlet Spiegel, President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili stated Russian Federation could not divert Georgia from its Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
“Russia has failed to divert Georgia even a centimeter away from its path toward EU and NATO, which was an only goal of each step of Russia,” she said.
The President noted that every step of Russia served this aim.
“The 2008 war, Russian military bases, the Russification in Abkhazia, the gradual moving of the occupation line – none of these acts was able to change our aspirations,” she said.
Zurabishvili said that the relations with Russia are currently frozen.
“Russia cannot change Georgia and Georgia cannot change the situation on the occupied territories,” she said.
To the question why Russian President Vladimir Putin did not congratulate Zurabishvili on becoming the president, she said the reason is not that Putin does not like her.
“It is because we no longer have diplomatic relations,” she added.
She also noted that to countries seeking to join the European Union, Europe appears different than it does to those already a part of it.
“Those who are already members of the Union often appear tired of Europe and are impatient. We, who watch from the side, still admire the EU,” the President said.
To the question that Georgia and Ukraine have a similar problem whereby the political elite wants to join the EU and NATO, but at the same time there are territorial disputes with Russia, Zurabishvili said in Georgia, this is not only the desire of the elite.
“There is a wide consensus among the population on this issue. The desire to belong to Europe is deeply rooted in our values, and we see no other perspective for Georgia,” she claimed.
