One of the main problems that Georgia faces today is probably that it is a small country, which the ruling party of this country is trying to isolate, at the instigation of Moscow, – the fifth President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, said at the discussion held within the framework of the Warsaw Security Forum: The struggle for democratic sovereignty in a hostile neighborhood.
“Many people talk about peace in Georgia, but this is the usual old Soviet and now Russian propaganda, which talks about peace and makes war. We are facing a hybrid war in Georgia. As a rule, we are Russia’s testing ground for how to try to revive the influence of Russian imperialism around it and beyond. Hybrid war is their new tool, and they are trying it in Georgia, as in 1993 or 2008. To fight hybrid war, which consists of everything: propaganda, cyberattacks, election manipulation, they are using our own, democratic tools. This is the distortion of democracy by totalitarianism, because it is totalitarianism that we are seeing, and all elements are needed to fight it. Strong civil resistance is needed, and I think we have it,” Zurabishvili noted.
She said that domestic civil stability is not enough in today’s world if “there is no attention from the outside.”
“Our struggle for stability, of course, is not the armed heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people, but it is very peaceful and without means, because we have no means, except for the resistance of civil society against the attacks that are taking place on all fronts, including the latest one, which the Russian leadership has developed against civil society and those people who have been protesting on the streets of Tbilisi for 308 days. Not only them, but also their families, parents and grandparents are being attacked, because until now nothing could have stopped these people from continuing to take to the streets of Tbilisi, to take a very peaceful stand. I would like to emphasize once again that during these 308 days, the protesters have not broken a single shop window.
I am not talking about the violence perpetrated by the police. However, I repeat, civil stability within the country is not enough in today’s world if there is no attention from the outside, and one of the main problem that Georgia has today is probably that it is a small country, which the ruling party of this country is trying to isolate, at the instigation of Moscow,” the fifth president of Georgia noted.
According to her, some partners think that they can cooperate with the authorities in order to return them to the old pro-Western, pro-European path, which is an illusion.
“What we need from you is attention, attention, attention, because this is the only protection against isolation. When some of our partners think that they can work with the government to bring them back to the old pro-Western, pro-European path, this is an illusion. You cannot bring back a country or a ruling party that has gone so far into the arms of Russia, but you can help the population. You can protect the population, and I want to emphasize once again that Georgia is not lost, because Georgia is the population of Georgians, this is the population that is on the streets, and those who are not on the streets will come out tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, because the inner determination of the Georgian people to never return to Russian domination exists, is intact, and will not weaken. But we need your attention, your solidarity, because in a world of many crises, it is very difficult for a small country to exist on the international stage, and this is what we need, this is why I am here,” Zurabishvili noted.
Salome Zurabishvili at Warsaw Forum: The ruling party is trying to isolate Georgia at the instigation of Moscow – what we need from you is attention, attention and attention
