Former President Salome Zourabichvili stated during today’s briefing that she received a letter from Ulf Kristersson, the Prime Minister of Sweden, expressing concern over the backsliding of democracy and human rights in Georgia.
Zourabichvili explained that the Swedish government has decided to suspend all financial aid from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) to the Georgian government but reaffirmed its support for civil society initiatives.
“I want to share with you the letter I personally received from the Swedish Prime Minister, in which he expresses deep concern about the current situation in Georgia, including the shrinking civil space, which contradicts both EU values and Georgia’s European integration aspirations,” she said.
According to the letter, Sweden has decided to halt all financial assistance to the Georgian government but will continue supporting Georgia’s democratic development through monitoring legislation and exploring ways to assist civil society.
The letter further states: “Like other European countries, we continue to closely monitor the situation in Georgia. We remain strong supporters of the Georgian people, their European aspirations, and democratic development. We expect the Georgian government to take necessary steps to end the crisis and restore trust in democratic institutions.”
Zourabichvili emphasized that the only solution to Georgia’s crisis is the holding of new parliamentary elections.
“No other form or election can resolve the anti-democratic regime in the country—regardless of whether it is labelled pro-American or pro-European,” she asserted. “The only peaceful and effective way forward is to hold new parliamentary elections.”
She reiterated that her position aligns with the Resistance Platform’s stance: if elections are not scheduled before October, they should be held concurrently with local elections. An additional key demand is the release of political prisoners.
“These elections must not be conducted under Ivanishvili’s rules or controlled by the Security Service. We have prepared a comprehensive document outlining our views and demands on how the elections should be conducted,” she concluded.
