We have a pro-Russian government in Georgia, a pro-Russian leader who uses practices taken from Russia, trying to destroy civil society just as it happened in Russia, with one major difference: Georgian civil society is not Russian civil society. This is already a different generation, a generation that cannot be defeated, and this is our hope, stated Georgia’s fifth President Salome Zurabishvili during a panel discussion at the “Forum 2000” in Prague.
As Zurabishvili explained during the panel discussion, the “Georgian Dream” party today is very different from the party that came to power in 2012. According to the fifth president, the only constant in the party is Bidzina Ivanishvili, who makes decisions based on Russian narratives and instructions.
“In Georgia today, this government and the ‘Georgian Dream’ party, which has already become a ‘Georgian Nightmare,’ was something entirely different initially. Today, it is a completely different party. About 80% of the 2012 members are no longer in the party. The other parties of the original coalition no longer exist. So, this is a different force now, but returning to the main figure, Mr. Ivanishvili, he was there then, he is here now, and he is the only person making decisions today. It is entirely clear that everyone around him is merely a puppet. He clearly uses Russian methods, Russian narratives, Russian instructions. Why? What was the deal, or what happened? History will probably tell us.
For now, we only see the facts, not their explanation. The fact is that we have a pro-Russian government in Georgia, a pro-Russian leader who uses practices taken from Russia, trying to destroy civil society just as it happened in Russia, with one major difference: Georgian civil society is not Russian civil society.
Even during the Soviet period, civil society existed in Georgia; we had people who thought freely and expressed their opinions back then. Today, we also have a strong civil society. We have young people, almost all of whom, under 30, have been to or studied in Europe or America. This is already a different generation, a generation that cannot be defeated, and this is our hope,” Zurabishvili stated.
In response to the moderator’s question about how Zurabishvili managed to achieve success with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during her time as Georgia’s Foreign Minister, Zurabishvili noted: “Back then, Russia was not strong.”
“I may have been the first Georgian official who did not speak to him in Russian. That probably caused some destabilization in the situation, but more seriously, I think the times were truly different. Back then, Russia was not strong. Perhaps Russia was testing Georgia as a testing ground, trying a different type of relationship. But that didn’t last long.
First and foremost, in the agreement concerning the withdrawal of military bases, they did not include the military base located in occupied Abkhazia, and after the 2005 agreement, 2008 happened soon after. Yes, during that period, Russia did indeed fulfill its part of the agreement, which was surprising to everyone because it was the first time in our relations. But soon after came the 2008 war, after which the number of military bases actually increased. Today, there are at least four military bases and one naval base that the Russians are planning to build on the Black Sea coast,” Zurabishvili stated.
Salome Zurabishvili: Mr. Ivanishvili was and remains the only one making decisions; everyone around him is a puppet – he clearly uses Russian methods and instructions; Why? What was the deal? History will tell us
