"Georgia is truly at a turning point. The Georgian Dream is no longer a dream; it has become a nightmare that distances Georgia from its long-standing goal," said the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, at the Orbeliani Palace, where she hosted the organizers and participants of the 8th Tbilisi International Conference, titled Transitional Year.
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Georgia has always seen itself as a European country and has looked to the West because it wanted to be independent from empires, especially from its northern neighbor, Zourabichvili stated.
"What is happening today is a tragedy for Georgia. It's a tragedy when some, not necessarily us, but some, have been calling our main partners a war party for years while saying nothing about the neighboring country that occupies 20% of our territory. It's a tragedy when you start losing focus and don't know where your priorities lie. This is a tragedy for an individual, and it is an even greater tragedy for a country. Especially for a country like Georgia, which has always known how to protect its independence and its cultural values," the President said.
According to Salome Zourabichvili, the honorary chairman of Georgian Dream, Bidzina Ivanishvili, is practically declaring war on the country's partners, as well as on its own population and the political forces within the country.
"They say in advance that they will achieve a constitutional majority, which is their dream, and that they will ban political parties or subject them to a justice system that no longer exists. We saw yesterday and the day before yesterday how the Constitutional Court is now trying to argue, against all evidence, that the Russian law does not actually jeopardize Georgia's European future, that it does not affect our main orientation. All of this is unacceptable. This is, first and foremost, unacceptable to the Georgian people. The Georgian people have already spoken twice last year and this year - that they do not agree with what is happening in this country. They do not accept this new image of Georgia and are not ready to submit to this new authoritarian regime and power," Zourabichvili said. The President noted that she believes the people of Georgia will make their voices heard in the elections.
The 8th Tbilisi International Conference, Transitional Year, opened on September 2. Members of the Georgian opposition, foreign politicians, diplomats, researchers, and representatives of civil organizations are attending the event. Among them are former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly, George W. Bush Institute Executive Director David Kramer, and European Parliamentarians Rasa Jukneviciene and Marketa Gregorova.
