Salome Zurabishvili: The European Union must say: ‘We offer you either a return to the path that the Georgian people have always wanted to follow — and which is still possible — or you continue down the Russian path'

The 5th President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, stated the following during the “Democratic Future of Georgia” discussion held as part of GLOBSEC 2025:

"The European Union must say: ‘We offer you either a return to the path that the Georgian people have always wanted to follow — and which is still possible — or you continue down the Russian path.’”

She continued: “I agree with your assessment that the situation is stuck. Despite what we hear from the outside — that the ruling party is becoming increasingly strong through repression — that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true. On one hand, they’re growing stronger, but on the other hand, people are leaving them, or they are being pushed out. There is internal hostility and a lack of trust within the ruling party, the kind you typically see in the final stages of authoritarian regimes. How long that ‘final stage’ lasts — I don’t know.

On the other side, we have the population, who have been protesting not just for 195 days, but for two and a half years. They are tired of waiting to see what happens. It’s a heavy burden for the people protesting in the streets. It’s also a burden for the opposition parties, which I am trying to help unite, as always, because they’re being asked to achieve things that aren’t quite clear how they can be achieved.

So, how long, in what way, and on what date? I think we’re expecting that date to come from the outside. There are two things we can expect from the European Union:

First — to describe the reality and say clearly that this is not merely a political crisis. This is a country that Russia has taken over without a fight. That’s what’s happening — a state, democracy, and all state institutions are now in the same condition as in Russia. One party, one man, who controls everything. This must be said. It’s not just about rigged elections, it’s not merely a deviation from the democratic path Georgia had been following — it’s a full-scale takeover.

After describing and naming what’s happening, the next step is to say: ‘A decision must be made about your future. We are not punishing Georgia or the Georgian people, but the ruling party is making its choice. We offer either a return to the path the Georgian people have always wanted — and which is still possible — or you continue on the Russian path, and you should expect the consequences.’ But this must be linked to a specific date. That date could be October 4 — parliamentary and local elections could be held then, or first parliamentary, then local...

The policy of ‘conditionality’ I am calling for — somewhat similar to the U.S. MEGOBARI Act (which is proposed but not yet in force) — must be attached to a calendar. It cannot just be an open-ended offer.”