'Opposition coordination announced yesterday was held today' — Salome Zourabichvili

Zurabishvili on opposition coordination in Georgia

At a briefing following her meeting with opposition representatives, Georgia’s fifth president Salome Zourabichvili stated that the opposition coordination announced yesterday had taken place today. She noted that the previous day’s protest in Tbilisi “gave great hope” and confirmed that the government’s repressive policies cannot suppress public resistance.

On 31 March, Zourabichvili addressed participants of a large-scale rally in Tbilisi, calling for the creation of a platform of resistance to coordinate the country’s pro-European political forces.

According to the president, Georgia is currently witnessing “yet another assault on the political opposition,” with political persecution entering a new phase.

Opinion: 'The platform of resistance proposed by Zourabichvili should have been created earlier'

Political analyst Gia Khukhashvili: “If the platform is not integrated into the protest, it will not succeed”

On 7 April, the Council of Europe will hold a session where a tough resolution on Georgia is likely to be adopted, with the issue of political prisoners taking centre stage. The agenda may also include recently adopted laws aimed at stifling all non-governmental organisations and civil society through initiatives like FARA — Georgia’s equivalent of the US Foreign Agents Registration Act. But there are ways to counter them, and we are working on finding those solutions.

Under no circumstances should the adoption of new repressive laws by the government be seen as a sign of strength. On the contrary — the protest is growing stronger, because more and more people understand what this government is doing and the direction it is heading in. More and more people are joining our message and the path we announced yesterday, which reflects the common policy of the parties gathered here.

We are on the path to new parliamentary elections — a peaceful path. We will achieve elections and the release of political prisoners, but we will not choose other routes that may exist in someone’s imagination. This is our united position. We are here to be brave and united, to stand together in new unity, to resist the regime’s repression and to reach our goal,” said Zourabichvili.