President Zurabishvili Meets with Youth

On June 11, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili held a meeting with Georgian youth who have been protesting against the Foreign Agents Law for the past two months. During the meeting, the President expressed her gratitude and stressed the importance of the upcoming parliamentary elections. There were some provocations at the event, with some students asking provocative questions and some people booing her.

The meeting began with live video addresses from Georgian students and young adults studying abroad and supporting Georgia’s EU integration. The President thanked the youth for opposing the government’s pro-Russian decisions. She noted that even though the law was adopted, it does not mean that the youth have lost, because all the pro-Russian laws can be abolished in one parliamentary session if the pro-European parties win the elections. President Zurabishvili emphasized the importance of the upcoming elections and said that based on their results Georgia can start accession negotiations with the EU by 2025.

Asked whether she would run for another term if the necessary concessions were made, the President said she would if the people wanted her to. Regarding the plan of what will happen if the elections end in favor of Georgian Dream, she said that there should be no talk of losing and that the victory will be granted to the pro-European parties, adding that there is a possibility of GD rigging the elections, which she noted should be monitored by the youth, who should receive proper training for this.

Many of the participants asked the President how the judicial system will be reformed and how the amnesty will affect their family members who have been sentenced to many years because of the “Russian regime”. She said that this kind of judicial reform is written in the Georgian Charter and there are plans for reforms after the elections. Most of the questions also focused on voting by emigrants, to which President Zurabishvili said that people in Georgia should do everything to motivate emigrants to vote in October.

There were some provocative questions asked to the President, mainly centered around the Foreign Agents law and the opposition parties. There were also some boos from the crowd, with some boys calling the President a demagogue and a traitor.

Also Read:

• 03/06/2024 – Opposition Parties Sign Georgian Charter

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