President was Refused to Hold Public Lectures at the Universities of Kutaisi and Zugdidi

Rector of Kutaisi University Shalva Kirtadze told journalists that it was not a good time to hold a public lecture at the university.

“There was an examination period in the university at the time, and then the university fully switched focus to this whole ordeal. Besides, I was not in Georgia. Therefore, it is not a desirable period to hold such an event. We have provided the following information - there is an exam period at the university, no lectures are being held, students do not attend and children come only for exams. Then they go home to study,” said the rector.

Shalva Kirtadze responded to the question of whether he would have refused the request to hold a public lecture from the Prime Minister, as well: “We would have told him too that maybe this isn't the best time, because now the main focus for the students is to study. We would have suggested the same thing to everyone.”

According to the rector of Zugdidi University, Teona Khufenia, the visit of the president could not take place due to a disagreement on the date.

“We did not refuse the public lecture; I was not there for the date of the visit which was selected. Accordingly, the deputy provided information about it. As you know, this is a respectable, great institution and logically, it needs a corresponding rank. The administration itself considered that the meeting could not be held,” Khufenia noted.

On November 30, the founder of the student movement “For Freedom”, Niko Managadze, reported that the state universities of Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Zugdidi refused Salome Zourabichvili to hold a public lecture. The student movement is collecting signatures of citizens, including students, within the framework of the “Our Voice to Europe” campaign launched by the President. The administration of the president did not respond to the issue of refusing public lectures, however, Salome Zourabichvili said that the Rector of Tbilisi State University, Jaba Samushia, prevented students from collecting signatures at the university.

“One thing I regret is that there is some indifference to this huge national consensus. I just visited some villages.

It is not clear to me why the representatives of the municipality do not meet with the president or the representatives of the diplomatic corps attend these events, the only purpose of which is the European path of Georgia.

There are no other political motives there, and not coming here is even worse for the children. Threatening school children not to come… I don't understand that at all.

The rector of TSU does not allow students to sign a very simple statement. There is nothing simpler and more non-political than this, and the rector refuses to do so, saying that it cannot be done because it is supposedly some kind of political event.

We have to get used to the fact that politics is politics and the state interests of Georgia are something else, which should be free everywhere, in every space”, said Zourabichvili.

Salome Zourabichvili launched the Our Voice to Europe campaign a month ago and initiated a petition, the signatories of which appeal to the leaders of the European Union to grant Georgia candidate status. Within the campaign, the President also holds meetings in the regions.