President Salome Zourabichvili Delivers Speech at Summit for Democracy 2023
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, March 30, 2023
The President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili delivered a speech at The Summit for Democracy held by the US President Joe Biden.
In her speech, Salome Zourabichvili thanked President Biden and noted that this year democracy needs to be protected and consolidated more than ever.
President spoke about the ongoing Russian war in Ukraine and noted that the world is facing a more direct, cruel and comprehensive challenge in the form of the invasion of the Russian military in Ukraine. According to her, the war against Ukraine is a war against democracy, freedom and human dignity.
"Last year, we already mentioned the important challenges faced by both long-established democracies and countries in the process of building democratic institutions. Everyone faces destructive challenges in the form of polarization, various forms of disinformation, pandemics, social tension and discrimination, conflicts and occupied territories.
These challenges, brewing inside and outside our borders, ultimately erode people's trust in their governments, institutions, and democracy itself.
However, none of us realized that the world would face a more direct, brutal and comprehensive challenge in the form of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, which would cause unimaginable destruction, suffering, loss of life and deprivation of human rights. The war against Ukraine is really a war against democracy, freedom and human dignity.
It is yet another reminder of the consequences of unfettered authoritarian regimes with ancient and long-standing imperialist ambitions. A reminder that democracies must be strong from within, that is, supported by a united civil society and united in the international arena to defend the established principles of international law.
As we gather today, in these even more challenging times, we must reaffirm our unwavering support for our shared values and solidarity and deliver on the commitments we have made," Zourabichvili said.
President Zourabichvili also spoke about protests in Tbilisi and noted that the Georgian people have achieved significant progress. She said that Georgia's path to democracy, European and Euro-Atlantic integration, which is written in the constitution, is the basis of the country's stability and there is no alternative to it.
"Despite the difficult geopolitical environment and internal tensions, Georgia has made progress on two main priorities: the work on the National Human Rights Strategy has been completed, the National Civil Plan for the Elimination of Violence against Women and measures for women's economic empowerment have been adopted. Nevertheless, the implementation of judicial reform through an inclusive process, which is our set priority, still requires our due diligence.
While these changes were part of Georgia's declared obligations and were solved by adopting new laws or action plans, the Georgian people achieved significant progress by protesting against any restrictions on civil rights in the streets of Tbilisi and demonstrating their commitment to democratic principles, which inspired and continues to inspire our country on the path of European integration.
This protest succeeded both in repealing the Foreign Agents bill, which was a victory for democracy and in demonstrating the ability to overcome polarization when united around a common goal. From this point of view, the process of national consent has started.
Our path to democracy, European and Euro-Atlantic integration, written in our constitution, is the basis of our stability and there is no alternative to it.
I want to repeat Georgia's strong promise of building an even stronger democracy and express our readiness to cooperate with all our international partners in building a more democratic, peaceful and sustainable world, in which Georgia will find a place as a reliable partner," Zourabichvili said.
