Former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has said that the exchange of letters or messages with the US Embassy and administration indicates that hope for a settlement is “rapidly fading,” but described the current situation as “a struggle that will ultimately bring victory”.

Speaking about a meeting between the Resistance Platform and a European Parliament mission visiting Georgia, Zourabichvili said they discussed “the country’s democratic backsliding, the situation of prisoners of conscience, and the imprisonment of political leaders.”

“We also went through today’s situation, the creation of the platform and how much it responds to the demand from our partners to create a political alternative. A political alternative that will show them and society that there is a force that is ready to take on elections and power. There will never be a vacuum in this country after today’s government – in reality, the regime – collapses,” she said.

The former president claimed that “Bidzina Ivanishvili is losing people who were trusted and close to him.”

“Today, we see more clearly the process of collapse and upheaval. This is a sign that, on the one hand, sanctions are working and working much more than we imagine. Incidentally, this is characteristic of sanctions – they work slowly at first and then at an accelerated pace.

The second important sign is that with these latest moves, Bidzina Ivanishvili is really losing people who were closest and most trusted to him. This is our situation today, and I think it means that we must be even more confident in ourselves than ever before. Confident that this struggle is a righteous struggle and it will ultimately bring victory,” she added.

The U.S. Embassy in Georgia issued a statement today indicating that, at the request of Secretary of State Rubio, Ambassador Dunnigan sought a meeting with the Honorary Chairman of the Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, on May 22. However, Ivanishvili declined to meet with the ambassador.

Ivanishvili responded to the statement, saying, “Against the backdrop of personal blackmail, I believe that a meeting with the ambassador and discussions on state affairs are inappropriate.”