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Georgia, a small Caucasian country of four million inhabitants, partly occupied by the Russian army since 2008, obtained the status of candidate country for membership of the European Union on November 8. This decision by the European Commission is an important step for Georgia, which has aspired to join the EU for many years and which had seen its request refused in 2022. We discussed it with Georgian President Salomé Zourabichvili.
Georgian President Salomé Zourabichvili welcomes obtaining the status of candidate country for EU membership. “What changed the situation was the determination of our population,” insists the former French diplomat. “For the EU, this is the current context where it was not appropriate to give a gift to Russia by leaving Georgia in a gray zone with a risk of destabilization and disappointment.”
Salomé Zourabichvili, an informed observer of the region, believes that the war in Ukraine could intensify. “Ukraine is on the eve of a new offensive and the Russians have the feeling – wrongly – of going back on track (…) Even here, the Russians want to make the enclave under their control of Abkhazia a base naval force in the Black Sea… This is extremely worrying for NATO!”
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The Georgian president faced an impeachment attempt by the ruling Georgian Dream party after she refused to enact a “foreign assets” law modeled on Russia’s. Salomé Zourabichvili explains having “vetoed this law” and “all those which do not respect the path (of Georgia) towards the European Union.” She claims that the legal process that led to the impeachment attempt was based on her “visits to France, Germany and Brussels, which were not authorized (by the government)”, specifying that she was traveling to Europe to “bring (Georgia’s) voice to the heart of Europe and to leaders about our European future”.
Salomé Zourabichvili welcomes the fact that the government changed its rhetoric this week by welcoming the status of candidate. “We are entering the electoral period in 2024. Europe must be very present to observe the elections and give a feeling of security to Georgians. Perhaps we will finally put an end to the habit of governing with a single party! “
Finally, she hopes for progress on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. “Terrorism must be eradicated, because it threatens Israelis, but also Palestinians!”
Program prepared by Sophie Samaille, Juliette Laurain, Perrine Desplats and Isabelle Romero
