Former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili’s appeal to the European leaders was released on Wednesday, urging EU officials to consider including Georgia’s item in the agenda of the Next European Council.

According to the letter, released by Zourabichvili’s press office, “The only peaceful way out of such dead-end is new elections.”

Below is the letter in full:

“In my name and that of the Georgian pro-European parties and civil society organizations, we are appealing to you to give due consideration to the current highly concerning developments in Georgia, where a Russian-inspired regime is adding every day to its array of repressive measures against Georgian democracy, sovereignty and its European future.

Europe should pay attention for three reasons:

One of democracy: Georgian de facto authorities are dismantling all institutions and violating all fundamental rights, which were built and defended thanks to more than 20 years of European engagement. A One-man Russia-supported dictator should not be allowed to defy European and American partners, nor to transform a determined pro-European population, a Candidate country into a Russian satellite. The credibility of European foreign policy is at stake together with our future.

One of sovereignty: What is happening in Georgia since the rigged elections and the 28 November decision to stop its European path, is nothing else but the attempt by Russia to test an alternative hybrid instrument to re-establish domination over a sovereign independent pro-European country. Military aggression as the Kremlin’s favoured instrument to conquer was tested in Georgia in 2008 and deployed in Ukraine in 2014 and 2022 at a high cost and without achieving the expected domination. A hybrid war – cost less and less aggressive in appearance- is now being tested in Georgia (but also in Rumania, Moldova and if you let it happen in Ukraine tomorrow) through manipulation of elections paving the way to a proxy government. If it were to succeed, it could spread beyond European borders. Such a new pattern should concern each and every one not only those of you that are closest to Russian borders.

One of strategy: the fate of Georgia cannot be delinked from that of Ukraine, nor the discussions about peace in Ukraine ignore Georgia. Talking about occupied territories, one cannot ignore Abkhazia and Ossetia. Talking about security and cooperation in the Black Sea one cannot forget Georgia, where de facto authorities plan on bringing China as a major stakeholder of the new Anaklia port. The fate of Georgia determines – what Russia understands better than many – the future of the Caucasus and of the European -Central Asian connections. At a time when the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan open new prospects for a peaceful Caucasus, at a time when Turkey comes closer to Europe and plays a stabilizing role in the Black Sea, losing Georgia is equal to handling this region to Russia’s dominance. This does not define neither a stronger Europe, nor a stronger America.

Our appeal to you is a call for your attention. Despite the demanding priorities that are confronting you at these very challenging times, Georgia deserves your engagement if the stability in this region is of concern to you.

After four months of relentless protest, Georgia is in deep crisis, the authorities do not govern, they only add repressions to repressions, the protest does not give way to resignation nor acceptance. The economic and social crisis is deepening. The authorities are not engaging in any form of dialogue with the opposition to find a way out of the crisis. A prolonged crisis of the kind can only lead to destabilization, that could be started by the slightest incident, despite the peaceful determination of the society.

The only peaceful way out of such dead-end is new elections.

Only through a European (and eventually American) high level mediation can this outcome be reached.

We urge you to give due consideration to this challenge and examine all possibilities to engage with the opposition and the ruling authorities a high-level discussion on the organization of new elections in Georgia.

Meanwhile, we need your direct support to the most exposed segments of the civil society: conscience prisoners, regional and central media. Europe has to stand up, when America leaves, not only on Defense issues, but for supporting the civil society and the essential freedoms. We firmly support the call for a “Voice of Europe” to take the succession in the fight for freedom and promote European values.

We urge you to consider including Georgia’s item in the agenda of the Next European Council and I together with the pro-European parties stand ready to testify in front of the European Parliament on the ongoing developments in advance of such session. “