“At this moment, a joint letter with my signature is being sent to all European leaders who will participate in the European Council meeting tomorrow and the day after,” the 5th President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili announced at a briefing. According to Zourabichvili, the European Council meeting agenda includes Ukraine, new defence projects and their financing, but currently does not list Georgia as one of the agenda topics.
“This is precisely what motivated the dispatch of this letter: that despite various priorities, attention must be given to the troubling situation in Georgia today—specifically, the daily strengthening, if not expansion, of the repressive regime. Georgia cannot be viewed as merely an isolated political crisis; it is part of a broader crisis that affects Europe as a whole—one that has manifested in military aggression in Ukraine but appears in a different, hybrid form in Georgia. This same aggression targets Georgia’s independence, democracy, and European identity.
This battle does not take the form of traditional military conflict; rather, it first emerged through electoral manipulation and now continues with the current ruling regime’s attempts to erode Georgia’s freedom, independence, and European identity. Our partners must recognize that Georgia’s situation deserves attention in discussions regarding the Black Sea.
We have a direct interest in enhancing security and cooperation in this region. Yet, the current Georgian Dream government is planning, in a notably non-transparent manner, to allow China into the Anaklia port. Furthermore, the Russian plans to establish a military base in Ochamchire signal that, whether we like it or not, Georgia is involved in Black Sea security and cooperation issues that need to be addressed. When discussing the fate of occupied territories, including in Ukraine, we cannot overlook our own occupied territories during broader negotiations. Georgia remains a crucial topic for Europe, irrespective of the current challenges that may draw more immediate attention. That was the purpose of our letter,” Zourabichvili emphasized.
She also indicated that the letter requests Georgia be included on the agenda of the next European Council session.
“There is a request for the upcoming European Council meeting, likely scheduled for June, to directly include Georgia’s issues on the agenda. Until then, both I and these coordinating political parties are prepared to attend the European Parliament session to present the pressing issues currently facing Georgia and to engage our European partners in meaningful discussion,” Salome Zourabichvili stated.
