interview
Georgia’s President Zurabishvili sharply criticizes the NGO law passed in her country. In the ARD interview She says that the people will “not allow their European future to be stolen” – and calls for a clear message from Brussels.
ARD: What was and is your reaction to what happened yesterday?
Salome Zurabishvili: Well, it’s the end of an era. I think that a final point has been made behind a development that the ruling majority itself initiated: from the stipulation in the constitution that Euro-Atlantic integration is a priority, to what we saw yesterday: the adoption of a Russian law in the Russian manner.
The reading in the Legal Affairs Committee lasted one minute and seven seconds. The third reading in Parliament, which was similar to the two previous readings, in which no one expressed a dissenting opinion: This is already a Russian way of ruling. And I think the reaction from people that we’ve seen in the last few months is due to the fact that we don’t want to go back to the past. The population is not willing to let a narrow parliamentary majority rob them of their European future. People will do whatever is necessary so that a European future is open to them.
ARD: If you listen to the speeches from the ruling Georgian Dream party, the new law is supposedly about transparency. Do you think that the “Georgian Dream” does not tell the truth when it comes to the law?
Zurabishvili: I think that the population of Georgia has a very long experience of lies from a totalitarian regime compared to some European countries. What is propaganda? How do they plan to use and abuse you?
80 to 85 percent of people here want to go to Europe. Not because they all know what the European Union is about in detail. No, they understand that – if there is no European community around us – Georgia’s independence is at stake. And I would like to say that the example of Ukraine once again reinforces why we should come into the EU and not remain outside in a gray area. We are united in this; There are no more discussions about this either.
“Propose European action plan”
ARD: But what can you do to ensure that Georgia doesn’t end up in this gray area?
Zurabishvili: Very much. First of all, I will veto it, which is more of a political gesture. But the population also expects me to say “no” to Russian law on their behalf. That won’t change anything. Then they will override my veto. And then we start preparing something else. And the other thing we are preparing is the parliamentary election on October 26th, which will be turned into a referendum for or against Europe. And I am confident that popular unity will be found at the ballot box; that the Georgian people will once again say that they want their European future, so that it can then be expressed through various political forces.
And I propose a European, overarching action plan that will show the Georgian people something: what are the measures that will be taken by the parties that want to get into the next parliament under this banner? We should try to change this government, which for whatever reason has become a Russian government, through elections. So that we can then turn back to our European future.
“Not an easy five months until the election”
ARD: Georgia may be on its way to becoming an authoritarian state. There is a lot of talk about death threats over the phone and smear campaigns. How do you see the chance that there will be free, fair elections in Georgia?
Zurabishvili: First: intimidation, pressure, repression – this is not new. And what has been happening on the streets for the past month shows that things are already heading in that direction. People then withdraw a little, but they come back – and in even greater numbers. We therefore need the attention of our European friends. It won’t be an easy five months until the election, but we will get there.
“Losing what Europe has to offer us”
ARD: I think you have a clear idea of what Europe expects from Georgia. But I think Georgia can also expect something from Europe, especially after the recent protests. Many statements came from Washington, London, even Berlin. But little from Brussels. What do you think?
Zurabishvili: Well, I would say that Brussels is made up of 27 countries, so I’m not surprised that it takes a little longer to express a common opinion. There was a statement from EU Council President Charles Michel that sets the direction that has not yet been reached – in relation to a policy that has been expressed.
What I am saying to you, our European partners, is that we need a clear message from the European Union – a message that expresses the support of the Georgian people, because it is the people who make their European position clear. And I would say it needs to be made clear by Europeans and that the outcome of the election will determine the European Union’s response.
I would be against either candidate status or visa liberalization as a whole being taken hostage now because it is the people who would be taken hostage. But it must be made clear that this is exactly what is at stake in the elections. If people choose the other path, they will lose what Europe has to offer us. If they choose their European future – and I am sure they will – then they will have the European passport again. So this clarity of message is very important.
ARD: What do you expect from Germany?
Zurabishvili: No other country that I know well is so supportive of candidate status. We hope this support will continue. We need presence.
The interview was conducted by Norbert Hahn and Björn Blaschke, ARD Moscow, currently in Tbilisi.