There are two scenarios for change in Georgia: elections and protests before you get to the elections, the fifth president of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, said in an interview with Foreign Policy.
When asked what the most likely scenario for change in Georgia is, Salome Zurabishvili replied that there are two scenarios.
“There are only two scenarios that we know: elections and protests before you get to the elections. Another alternative is some form of rebellion, although this is not part of the Georgian tradition. But there must be some kind of resistance, and the resistance must be better supported from the outside,” Salome Zurabishvili said.
According to her, “partners need to better understand what is happening in Georgia.”
“We are fighting Russia, which is fighting Georgia through hybrid means and soft power. I think our European and American partners should be worried about the fact that Russia is trying to see what it can achieve through soft power,” the fifth president of Georgia said.
Asked what she wants the US to do, Salome Zurabishvili said, “The problem is that it is too late.”
“The Biden administration was talking about sanctions, people kind of got used to it. Sanctions work in Georgia because it is a small country and everyone knows everyone. Sanctions work at the second level, to some extent, they can also affect the first level, right? This will not work on Bidzina Ivanishvili. Sanctions cannot be just one tool, and if you talk about it, then you have to use it, otherwise it becomes an empty threat,” Salome Zurabishvili said.
Also, she said, there is a lack of political statements regarding Georgia.
“There is a lack of statements that would say that this is unacceptable. This is a government that is moving towards Russia. Georgia’s instability and return to Russia’s sphere means that this poses a threat to Azerbaijan, Armenia, transit zones, and the role of the Caucasus in general. My message to congressmen is that Georgia needs attention, because America’s interests in the region are at stake. America and Europe are giving Georgia to Russia without even trying to do anything,” Salome Zurabishvili noted.
Salome Zurabishvili: There are two scenarios for change in Georgia: elections and protests before you get to the elections
