“There’s no plan if he does [Putin starts military operation against Georgia]. Because Georgia is not Ukraine, Georgia doesn’t have military strengths. That will be another crisis for you [the West],” the Georgian President, Salome Zourabichvili, said about it in response to the moderator’s question during the discussion at the Warsaw Security Forum.

Zourabichvili emphasized the importance of peace, which she defined as one where populations enjoy freedom and countries maintain their independence

“I think that these elections are something for us to defend, to defend peacefully, and to express ourselves. I think that the mobilization of the Georgian people in the elections is the real answer today.

There is no peace at any cost. Those of us who know history know that there is no peace at any cost. There is peace only when it’s just, there is peace only when the populations have their freedom and when countries have their independence. There will be peace, and I’m convinced of that, the day when Russia will understand that as any other nation in the world, it has borders it has to respect. It has to know, first of all, where its borders are, respect the borders, respect its neighbours, and accept to be in its own frontiers. That is the only peace that is a lasting peace,” the President declared.

According to Zourabichvili, Georgia is more resilient to Russian propaganda than other countries.

“I don’t think that it’s from outside that you can strengthen the inner defense of the people. I think that we have our history, we have our knowledge of Russia. We are more resilient to Russian propaganda than many other countries because we have lived through it. So people see through what is happening,” she added.

Additionally, the President spoke about the US policy, noting “I believe that the American policy is very much a bipartisan policy. At least when it concerns Georgia, we know that it has always been a bipartisan policy. And I guess that concerning Ukraine it will be a bipartisan policy. Because the reality on the ground is such that I do not think any American President cannot just ignore that and give an easy win to Russia, which really up to now has been losing the war. Because for Russia not being able to win the war after two years and a half, against what it thought to be a three-day campaign, is already a loss.”

According to the President the judicial system in Georgia needs complete reform.

“That’s on the Georgian charter, which has been now signed by all the pro-European parties, which commits, very early in the next months after the election, to start deep reform of the justice system.

I’ve been impeached by the constitutional court. Although there were three judges that dissented from that, which is already a reason for hope. So, we have to do that and that has to be done very quickly. Also quickly we have to restore all the processes of getting closer to the European Union, of getting closer to American partners, to restart the military exercises that have been suspended. We have many things to do, and I’m hopeful that we will be on track.

As to Saakashvili, the trial has been going on. There are many different trials. There is not just one trial. There is nothing that can be fair today in Georgia’s tribunals. So he’ll have to wait for the next,” she statd.

In addition, the President of Georgia stated that Georgia needs moral support to the Georgian population and many election observers.

“The moral support, because today there is nothing much in one-month time that can be done. Moral support to the Georgian population and lots of observers during the elections. Because that’s the way that the Georgian population is going to feel supported during the elections. Even if the observers cannot really change much to the outcome, they are not interfering with the elections, but they are a sign that we are not alone,” she added.