Georgia’s European Choice Unshakable, President Says
By Khatia Bzhalava
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said on Monday that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has created a new reality ‘that has already defeated Russia’s ambitions and goals in Europe’. In her speech at the conference New Security Architecture in Europe and its Impact on Georgia, the president said that Ukraine’s national identity has grown and strengthened, and so has the unity of EU countries and their awareness that Europeans must watch for security and take more responsibility.
As Zourabichvili noted, no matter how this anachronistic war ends, the Ukrainians are already victorious, adding that they ‘have paid the highest price for their country’s independence and consolidated that independence’.
“It is difficult to predict by what principles will tomorrow’s Europe be guided and how it will see the geopolitical significance of different countries – Ukraine as a guarantor of stability in Central Europe, the Caucasus as a strategic bridge to the East, Russia in isolation, or the role of the Eastern Balkans in the Mediterranean.
If it uses somehow mixed criteria, how will it balance the need for expansion and the need for economic or social enhancement? Against the background of this impending change, we need to see our place and capabilities,” the President said.
According to her, Georgia has great prospects given the country’s geopolitical position and flexibility, however, the president does not rule out that Russia’s reaction following its moral failure and isolation may lead to renewed aggression toward other neighbors, including Georgia.
According to her, in the face of these new opportunities and threats, Georgia needs to show the world that the country’s choice to take the next steps is unshakable.
“it is for us to establish our place in Europe and to return to our roots and the future that we belong to,” Zourabishvili said.
In this regard, she stressed that all forces must unite under this one goal, adding that confrontation driven by political ambitions is not only against the interests of the country, but it ultimately hurts the trust in these parties as well. According to her, any step taken by the government or the opposition must serve this one purpose and must not jeopardize it.
“The purpose must be clear and not raise any doubts about our sincere choices and goals” the President stressed.
