“The coordination announced yesterday, along with its established rules, proved fruitful today. This means we must shape and finalize our perspectives on the primary challenges and pressing issues. However, this does not preclude individual proposals in the future that may differ from those we have agreed upon collectively,” stated former president Salome Zourabichvili.

According to Zourabichvili, the March 31 protest demonstrated that the Georgian Dream’s policy of repression has become ineffective. She emphasized that while the persistent protest within society will not wane, it will also not deter a new wave of persecution against politicians that seek to intimidate the opposition.

“A session will convene on April 7 in the Council of Europe, which is likely to adopt a stringent resolution concerning Georgia, focusing on the issue of political prisoners. It will also address all the recently endorsed laws, including FARA, through which the government aims to stifle the NGO sector and civil society. However, we will find a way forward,” she remarked.

Zourabichvili cautioned society against believing that the government becomes stronger by enacting repressive laws; on the contrary, public protest gains momentum.

“The message and course of action I announced yesterday reflect a shared perspective among the political parties: we will pursue a peaceful path toward new elections and the release of political prisoners, and we will achieve this. We have no intention of exploring other paths that may exist in anyone’s imagination,” she concluded.