Kateryna Chornovol23:36, 28.11.24

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili also appeared at the rally.

Protests have broken out in Georgia after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced his refusal to negotiate accession to the EU . People gathered outside the central office of the ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream party and the parliament building in Tbilisi.

As reported by ” Echo of the Caucasus “, the protest was organized through social networks. There is already information about the first clashes with security forces and detentions.

Georgian President Salomi Zurabishvili also showed up at the rally. She headed to Freedom Square, where special forces had gathered.

“Do you serve Russia or Georgia? Who did you swear an oath to? I am interested in the answer. You are not answering,” she addressed the security forces.

SOVA reports that the president has already held urgent consultations with the diplomatic corps and the opposition, after which she declared “an end to the constitutional coup” in the country:

“Today, a period was put on the constitutional coup that has been going on for several weeks or even months. A period was put on the movement from Europe to Russia. If anyone had any doubts, today these doubts were dispelled.”

Zurabishvili added that “the non-existent, illegitimate government has declared not peace, but war – against its own people, its own past and its own future.” And on this path, “there is no Georgian statehood, no independence, no future without Russia.”

She also emphasized that minutes after the Georgian Prime Minister’s announcement of the suspension of EU accession talks, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin “expressed his satisfaction and praised the Georgian authorities for their obedience.” The President called on the West to help the Georgian people. Zurabishvili named the appointment and holding of new parliamentary elections as her main task.

Protests in Georgia

Georgia’s accession to the EU: what preceded it

In October 2024, parliamentary elections were held in Georgia. The pro-Russian Georgian Dream party won , gaining more than 50% of the votes.

However, there were some falsifications, which were also reported by independent observers. The opposition refused to recognize the election results.

The election commission, which had previously declared the election free and fair, said it would recount votes at five randomly selected polling stations in each of Georgia’s 84 electoral districts. It did not say when the results would be announced.

It should be noted that the European Council Summit announced the actual suspension of Georgia’s accession to the European Union. This happened even before the parliamentary elections.

(C)UNIAN 2024