Zurabishvili stated her intention not to leave Georgia
Former Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili said that she is not going to leave the country and will continue to represent it at the world level. This was reported by Interpressnews on January 21.
"The Georgian authorities cannot represent the country abroad because practically no one recognizes them, except Russia, Iran and a few other countries, but none of the major European countries or American partners," Zurabishvili said at an interview at the Atlantic Council (recognized as an undesirable organization in Russia) in Washington.
According to her, it does not matter whether the U.S. passes a law on Georgia. Zurabishvili believes that what matters is the reality in which there is an opportunity for the former president to represent the country's interests abroad.
Earlier, on January 11, Salome Zurabishvili said that Tbilisi has many partners in the form of the European Union (EU) and the United States, which will help the republic to "break out of Russia's claws". In addition, the former president noted that the country has not had so many allies in Europe and the United States for a long time.
On January 9, Denis Denisov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia that the work of the so-called office of former Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who refused to accept the results of the presidential election, would be limited to meetings with her Western partners and social networking.
Zurabishvili said during a briefing that day that she will work in the new office and will continue to perform "presidential functions" in it. She noted that the country is going through a deep crisis and repeated parliamentary elections should be held to get out of it.
The Georgian presidential election was held on December 14, with the Georgian Dream party candidate Mikhail Kavelashvili winning. After that, Zurabishvili refused to leave her post and threatened to "overthrow the regime" if no compromise was reached on the issue of parliamentary elections, the results of which she also does not recognize.
The inauguration ceremony of Mikhail Kavelashvili as the new president of Georgia took place on December 29, 2024. Zurabishvili, who did not recognize the election results, left the presidential residence and told supporters that she intended to take part in a protest on New Year's Day and visit a number of countries. Her security was removed the next day.
