Salome Zurabishvili: Rustaveli Avenue is a place that will bring us victory. I wish that those who are locked in the Parliament or other buildings could see these people. This requires understanding and compromise—it is time for new elections

"This [protest of] 40 days is nothing if you believe that in the end, there is victory. Rustaveli Avenue is the place that will bring us victory," stated Salome Zurabishvili, the fifth President of Georgia, as she joined the citizens gathered on Rustaveli Avenue.

According to Salome Zurabishvili, the people gathered on Rustaveli Avenue have an inner conviction that "this cause and goal are so righteous, it is impossible not to win and not to return this country to the path it should be on."

"This is an extraordinary sign that this society is invincible. Forty days is nothing, and eighty days is nothing if you believe that in the end, there is victory. I think everyone gathered here has this inner belief. Today is a day of faith. Faith that this cause is so just, it is impossible not to win and not to return this country to where it should be heading and how it should be developing. All of this lies ahead of us, and I am confident we will achieve it.

Our partners support us, which is very important, but what happens here on Rustaveli Avenue is the most important. This is the main victory. Rustaveli Avenue is the place that will bring us victory," said Salome Zurabishvili.

She also noted that the unity of the people is already a victory.

"Rustaveli Avenue is the place that will bring us victory. Today, we are standing here together, and I believe this is the primary feeling that unites us. Unity is what has saved Georgia for centuries. If we can achieve such unity—not only during celebrations but every day, throughout these forty days and as long as it takes—this is victory, and it is what has brought Georgia to this point," Salome Zurabishvili emphasized.

She further stated that the time has come for new elections.

"[What is happening on Rustaveli] doesn’t need evaluation; it needs to be seen. I would wish that those who are locked somewhere in Parliament or other buildings could also see these people. They need to understand what this means, that compromise is not possible. This requires understanding and the recognition that the time has come for new elections," Salome Zurabishvili concluded.