'If Georgia falls under Russian influence, it will be disaster for Europe' — Zourabichvili’s address in Lithuanian parliament
Zourabichvili in Lithuanian parliament
The fifth president of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, delivered an address in the Lithuanian parliament.
In her remarks, Zourabichvili stated that Bidzina Ivanishvili is seeking to plunge Georgia into a “Russian nightmare,” and that Europe must act immediately to stop it.
“Georgia is now facing a deepening crisis, one that has moved beyond demands for new parliamentary elections. We are now confronted with a much larger challenge—an existential one.
The ruling party [Georgian Dream] originally had public support because it came to power with promises of a European future and reforms. But on 28 November 2025, by halting Georgia’s EU accession process, they turned their backs on the people’s aspiration to join the European family,” said Zourabichvili.
According to her, the authorities are now trying to drag Georgia back toward “a Russian style of governance,” against the will of the people.
“Today, we are a country under repression: journalists, civil activists, and politicians are being taken to police stations and charged with fabricated crimes.
This government is using Russian tactics—it is turning the police, the government, and the judiciary into weapons against its own citizens,” said the fifth president of Georgia, whose term ended in December 2024.
She highlighted several high-profile criminal cases against protesters, stressing that “these people are not criminals; they are ordinary citizens who believe in a democratic future.”
The Russian nightmare, which we believed was part of history after gaining independence [in the early 1990s], is returning to haunt us in the 21st century
In Zourabichvili’s view, Europe must act immediately to prevent this, because “if Georgia falls under Russian influence tomorrow, it will be a strategic disaster for Europe.”
“This would prove that Russia no longer needs military aggression to achieve its goals. Through hybrid warfare, election interference, and economic pressure, it can realise its ambitions at a much lower cost,” she warned.
