Georgia: President Zourabichvili calls on EU to step up and defend its values

On 18 December, the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili delivered a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, saying that the protesters in Georgia ask only for two things: “give us our voice back, because of the stolen elections, and give us our European future back,” through new elections.

Welcoming President Zourabichvili, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said: “I speak for this entire House when I say to all Georgians who look to Europe for support and for their future: you are not alone. We see you, we hear you, we are with you. This House stands strong with Georgia in its journey towards Europe.”

In her address to MEPs, President Zourabichvili said the latest developments in her country reminded her of 1921 when the Red Army invaded independent Georgia. “That is what explains the courage and determination with which the Georgian people are reacting today. They see what is happening as a deposition of their freedom, their future and in some ways their independence,” Zourabichvili said.

President Zourabichvili described Georgia as a country where the Georgian people are in one corner and the repressive apparatus of one party in the other. She also called on Europe and the West to provide sustained political backing to Georgia’s democratic voices, support for justice and the release of political prisoners, and firm backing for calls for new elections.

President Zourabichvili concluded her speech saying what is happening in Georgia is about more than its democracy and its political choices – it is also about Europe and its strategic interests. If Georgia falls “under Russian control, it will touch upon everything from Black Sea security to connectivity, and Armenia’s European future. (…) The stakes will be high”.

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Press release