Georgian president-elect takes strong line towards Moscow after contentious vote, – Reuters published an interview with Salome Zurabishvili.

In an interview with Reuters on Saturday, Zurabishvili said there could be no point in any negotiations with Russia until it recognizes that it is occupying two breakaway Georgian regions.

Russia was an “occupying power”, and the biggest concern was “that it’s unpredictable”, she said.

“When you have an enemy that is known and predictable you know what will be your next steps. In this case, to be very frank, I don’t know what should be the next steps of Georgia in relations with Russia. It is so unpredictable and so overly present on our territory.”

Zurabishvili said she wanted Georgia to be seen “not only through the Russian prism”, but as an ancient country that had a lot to offer to the rest of the world. Raising its profile on its own would in turn help Georgia counter Russia.

“To make Georgia more present is also a way to make Russia less influential in our relations with European partners,” she said. “I’m convinced that we can ask much more from our European partners … and I intend to be a more demanding partner for Europeans as well as for our NATO partners.”

Zurabishvili said she would aim to use her new role to reconcile Georgia’s divided society, but said the opposition’s call for people to refuse to recognize the results of the election served Russia’s interests.

“That’s exactly what Russia would have wished for – to have a very divided and very weakened country and a discredited president whose legitimacy is under attack,” she said.