Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg today.
“Georgia has always been and will be the West's springboard to the region. Russia is trying to take over Georgia because it has its imperial ambitions in the entire Caucasus region and that has not changed. If Georgia falls under Russian control - I'm not even talking about a military invasion, I'm talking about electoral and constitutional possibilities of intervention - it's about the security of the Black Sea region, about the European future and Armenia. It's not just about Georgia,” Zurabishvili said.
“Georgia is part of Europe, of the global battle against Russia. There is a connection between Georgia and Syria. After Russia failed and couldn't assert itself in Ukraine, isn't Georgia next? After Russia failed in Moldova and I hope it failed and will fail in Romania, will Georgia win?”, she addressed the MEPs.
From the rostrum in the plenary hall, Zurabishvili appealed for support - at the political, judicial and geopolitical levels.
“Europe is slowly waking up, Europe is slowly reacting. In Georgia, we are still waiting for tangible measures from Brussels and Washington. We should not wait for the crisis to deepen for Europe to start acting. Georgians must understand that they are not alone, that Europe is with us”, added Salome Zurabishvili.
Her speech was met with thunderous applause. MEPs stood up and held the Georgian flag, printed on sheets of paper.
There have been mass protests in Georgia for almost a month now. The demonstrations began after the government led by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze decided to suspend the country's EU accession process after the disputed parliamentary elections in October 2024. Salome Zurabishvili, President of Georgia since 2018, said that the vote, in which the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory, was falsified and effectively "stolen".
In a resolution adopted on 28 November 2024, MEPs rejected the results of Georgia's parliamentary elections and called for them to be rerun within a year.
Salome Zurabishvili's presidential term ends on 29 December, and the new Georgian parliament recently appointed former footballer Mikhail Kavelashvili as her successor.