“I Remain President,” Says Zurabishvili Urging Firmer Western Stance

On December 27, President Salome Zurabishvili appeared on The Rest is Politics, a British podcast hosted by Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart. During the interview, she reaffirmed that the December 14 presidential election, held by the electoral college composed only of the Georgian Dream, is invalid, asserting she remains the legitimate president. Zurabishvili urged the Western partners to take a firmer stance on Georgian authorities, warning that Russia is testing its new hybrid warfare strategies in Georgia.

When asked about her plans after December 29, when GD plans to inaugurate Mikheil Kavelashvili as president, Zurabishvili stated: “This election and hence the inauguration of the president is not valid, so I remain president, and I continue to do my job—that is what everybody has to know. The details of that will be known on Sunday.”

President Zurabishvili criticized the GD government’s drift away from the EU, a shift she described as becoming increasingly evident over the past three years. “We have seen this Russian deviation of power that has never existed before. Even Shevardnadze [Georgia’s second president] did not try to accommodate with Russia the way Georgian Dream is accommodating,” she remarked.

Commenting about Bidzina Ivanishvili, Zurabishvili asserted: “He is central in everything,” despite trying to act from the shadows in a “non-formal” role. “The power is completely under the control of one person, Mr. Ivanishvili. Nobody else decides today”, she stressed.

Zurabishvili also warned that Russia is testing its hybrid warfare strategy not only in Georgia but also in Romania and Moldova, after having failed to succeed militarily in Ukraine. She emphasized that Georgia is at the center of a geopolitical battle between Russia and Europe, noting that the Georgian people recognize this existential threat and are responding with protests.

The President called on European and American partners to “tackle this new reality,” cautioning that “if Russia finds that its strategy in Georgia is successful, it will use it in a more sophisticated way” against EU countries.

Also Read:

• 22/12/2024 – Addressing Crowds, President Zurabishvili Summons Ivanishvili to Negotiate New Elections
• 22/12/2024 – GD’s Kobakhidze Threatens President Zurabishvili with Imprisonment
• 20/12/2024 – President Zurabishvili Addresses Italian Senate on Georgia’s Political Crisis and EU Aspirations
  

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