The head of the Georgian state, Salome Zurabishvili, held a meeting in Paris with Donald Trump, who won the US presidential election, after which she said that the people of Georgia have a friend in him, the administration of the Georgian president reports.
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“I had a deep discussion with President Trump and (French President Emmanuel) Macron. It was about fraudulent elections and the alarming repression of the Georgian people. I emphasized the need for a strong United States of America. The Georgian people have a friend in Donald Trump. God forbid America,” the administration quotes Zurabishvili as saying.
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The President of Georgia and leaders of other states are in Paris for the opening of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral.
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Zurabishvili had already met with Vladimir Zelensky, and before the opening ceremony, she approached Trump and greeted him. According to the Georgian presidential administration, Zurabishvili also met with American entrepreneur Elon Musk in Paris and is awaiting his visit to Georgia.
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At the end of November, the State Department announced that the United States was suspending its strategic partnership with Georgia due to the “anti-democratic actions” of the ruling Georgian Dream party.
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Parliamentary elections were held in Georgia on October 26. According to the Central Election Commission, the ruling Georgian Dream, which advocates maintaining relations with the Russian Federation and against anti-Russian sanctions, received 53.93% of the votes. Four opposition parties also entered parliament, receiving a total of 37.78%. Opposition representatives have already stated that they do not recognize the CEC data. Special Coordinator of the short-term OSCE mission Pascal Alizar noted the good organization of the elections in Georgia, while stating a number of violations recorded by observers. Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who is helping the pro-European opposition despite the fact that the constitution requires the president to be non-partisan, called for protests over the election results.
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Another series of opposition protests began in Georgia on November 28, after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced the decision to suspend consideration of the start of negotiations on the country’s membership in the European Union until 2028. Protesters use firecrackers, stones, bottles, and it was reported that Molotov cocktail bottles were found at the site of the pogroms. Security forces respond by using special equipment, including water cannons.
