I met practically all the ministers of the new [US] cabinet - I had the opportunity to say how important what is happening in Georgia today is, - the fifth President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili said in an interview with the Georgian Service of the Voice of America, where she summed up her visit to Washington.

According to Zurabishvili, her message during the meetings was that attention to the current situation in Georgia is needed very soon and quickly.

“I met practically all the ministers of the new cabinet. They were very short meetings, because these were meetings within the framework of events where there is not much time to elaborate on the messages, which are very important today. But still, I had the opportunity to say how important what is happening in Georgia today is, how alarming it is in a region that is important for America, because there is the Black Sea, new strategic projects, in a country that has been the object of American assistance for the past 30 years.

Georgia is the country that received the most aid per capita, that is, per person, [from America], after Israel, which is not a small amount. This happened because America had interests and strategic interests in Georgia. I am sure that this interest still exists today. This was my message that it is necessary to pay attention very quickly, very soon, to the situation that exists in Georgia - on the one hand, the repressions that are underway, the establishment of a dictatorship, and also the new geopolitical directions of this regime, which is a regime that follows the Russian model. Not only the Russian model, but also establishes friendly relations with China and gives them strategic interests of Georgia, which should probably be of very serious interest and concern to America,” Zurabishvili said.

According to Salome Zurabishvili, her role now is to ask partners not to allow that isolation affects Georgian society.

“Isolation is the direction of the current regime and their new dream. They are working on this so that Georgia remains alone, remains alone in front of Russia politically and in terms of security, and in front of China economically. This is not what the Georgian population has actually dreamed of for the entire 30 years since independence. Therefore, my role, as the voice of this state, which no longer has any other legitimate voice, is to ask our partners for help so that if this isolation concerns the leaders who choose dictatorship today, it should not concern the country, it should not concern the society, it should not concern our economy tomorrow. This is my main message to all our partners, to help us today so that they can help Georgia even more tomorrow,” Salome Zurabishvili said.

According to her, Georgia should return to the strategic partnership with America.

“My goal here was not to rearrange anything and I do not think that anything needs to be rearranged. We must sort out our relations with our American partner and continue the 30-year policy that has been in place. We must return to the strategic partnership. I am very glad that Armenia has also signed strategic partnership. This means that the Caucasus remains a very important region for America. In this region, we are the center and our partnership with America is the cornerstone for this region and for our future,” Zurabishvili said.

As for her plans, Zurabishvili says that the plan is to “hold elections.”

“I never answer questions regarding plans, because this question does not cover anything. The plan is to hold elections, this is everyone’s demand. We are working on the conditions for these elections, if it happens that the regime agrees to elections, because it will have no other choice. Otherwise, it will collapse on its own, and we must be ready for elections on both sides just in case. This is primarily the duty of the parties, rather than the president. I am the guarantor of the state and future stability, during these elections and after these elections," Zurabishvili said.