Zourabichvili: “Russia suffers from ancient imperial motives"

At a joint news conference with her Polish colleague Andrzej Duda in Tbilisi International Airport late on February 3, President Zourabichvili issued sharply worded remarks against Moscow. President Duda stopped in Tbilisi for a brief layover on his way to Beijing for the Winter Olympics.

Salome Zourabichvili, Georgia's president, has condemned "Russia's evident aggression against Ukraine" and voiced "complete solidarity with our ally Ukraine, and not just with Ukraine, since the dangers that exist are in reality concerns to Europe's security."

"Those aggressive actions, threats, whether cyberattacks or a direct increase in military forces directly on the Ukrainian border, or the activation of the same military forces on the Black Sea, all of these are signs of how much Russia's current policy is… provocation," Georgian President stated.

She praised the whole European and Western world for reacting to Russian policies via discussions and attempts to find a peaceful solution. "However, both parties must be prepared for de-escalation and calm dialogue," she stressed.

The Georgian President then complimented Poland for assisting Kyiv directly and for assisting Georgia on its journey to Euro-Atlantic integration. She also expressed gratitude to European and American partners for remembering Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity throughout the talks with Moscow.

"In the face of global problems, we have no choice but to pursue peaceful paths, and those who do not grasp this, those who suffer from archaic imperial impulses, do not comprehend the reality of the twenty-first century," President Zourabichvili said.

New Political Secretary in Lelo Party

Salome Samadashvili, a former member of the United National Movement, has joined the Lelo party as its political secretary. The lawmaker said she saw Lelo as a party that might provide the Georgian people a new political vision, as they have been yearning for new political prospects.

"Confrontation between different political parties has held… the future of our nation and our citizens [hostage]," MP Samadashvili claimed, emphasising the need to break this "vicious spiral."

She underscored that the party shares her principles of patriotism and freedom protection, referring to Lelo as a "union of patriots" and "union for freedom."

Mamuka Khazaradze, the chair of the Lelo party, said the party is being joined by a "serious force," adding that "now it is extremely vital for all pro-Western forces to unify" to overcome the issues facing Georgia, Ukraine, and the whole region.

After co-founding the Lelo – Partnership for Georgia parliamentary group, MP Samadashvili has been a member of the party since May 13, 2021. She was appointed as the Deputy Faction Chair, but worked as an independent legislator.

She broke ranks with the United National Movement over its initial reluctance to sign the EU-brokered April 19 Agreement, having participated in the negotiations as the party's representative and signed the agreement on her own.