Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has delivered her report to the Parliament of Georgia for the last time as the president, but “she took the floor as the president of the EU candidate country for the first time,” as she put it.

In her annual report, Salome Zourabichvili remarked that 2023 was full of challenges and hardships but ended with an outstanding achievement of EU candidate status, bringing new hope and a future to the country.

According to the President, Russia’s full-scale war and aggression against Ukraine strengthened Europe’s unity and solidarity. However, its plan to build a military base in occupied Ochamchire serves to shift confrontation to Georgia’s territorial waters, causing a threat to the Black Sea security.

President Zourabichvili went on to say that continued pressure, abductions and killing of locals residing at the occupation line, frequent cyber attacks on state institutions and promoting activities of pro-Russian groups represent a “hint of what to expect for elections.”

“The hybrid war includes mass immigration of Russian citizens, which has a direct impact on the economy and increased the country’s dependence on Russian money and market. Also, the hybrid strategy is based on several provocations: the resumption of direct flights, the entry of intelligence and other high-ranking officials, the Russian cruise ship in Batumi, Stalin’s icon in the Trinity Cathedral. All those aim to generate fear, confrontation and destabilization threat,” she said.

Candidates for the posts of PM and ministers, representatives of the Georgian Orthodox Church and Diplomatic Corps are attending the president’s annual report in the parliament.