Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili alleges that the ruling party’s patron, Bidzina Ivanishvili, may still have ties to Moscow or that they have gotten closer.
In an interview with the leading American newspaper POLITICO, Zurabishvili said that she “is not into conspiracy theories” about Ivanishvili’s plans for Georgia, but at the same time she does not have “a logical, rational explanation” for the Georgian Dream’s deviation from the European path.
“The whole history of Georgia shows that the main risk for Georgia comes from Russia. The risk of war increases when Georgia is isolated from its partners, when it’s alone, divided and weak,” she said.
President Zurabishvili said the upcoming elections are “existential.” She also asserted that even if the GD wins the upcoming elections, it will be “quite difficult” for them to renew any form of relations with the country’s Western partners, the EU and the U.S., given the authorities’ constant attacks against them.
“I don’t know whether they are in the mood of making … serious concessions to return to some form of business as usual,” she added, such as for example withdrawing the Foreign Agents Law. She is also uncertain about what kind of politics the ruling party would pursue: would it implement its radical promises, such as banning virtually all opposition parties, or try to restore relations with the EU.
Expressing pride in her efforts to unite the opposition in the run-up to the October elections, President Zurabishvili also addressed the opposition’s chances in the elections and expressed her readiness to work with them, should they win, to pursue the goals set out in the Georgian Charter. The Charter is a roadmap document for bringing Georgia back on the EU track, which, among many reforms, includes the creation of a technocratic government for one year, something the opposition seems less enthusiastic about at the moment.
“If the pro-European forces and the parties behind the charter win the elections, I will probably be with them to carry this charter to the next European Council and secure the opening of negotiations, in whatever position — and that’s still to be defined,” Zurabishvili said. Her biggest regret, she said is “that we missed the first chance to open negotiations [with the EU].”
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