Georgian people have supported our chosen path to protect peace, one day, history will recognize that we saved our country. The President of Georgia said this in the interview with the French media outlet Radio Courtoisie.

Mikheil Kavelashvili expressed hope that the US administration’s “unfair” attitude towards Georgia would change with Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

“We sincerely hope that the unfair stance of the [previous] US administration towards Georgia will change. We also hope that Trump’s return will influence the EU’s approach to Georgia…

We are a small country. I remind you that the pressure on Georgia started after the war in Ukraine began. The Georgian people, with their wisdom, have supported our chosen path to protect peace. Today, our position is clear: this war in Ukraine must end. From the very beginning, we said that this would be a devastating war for the country, and it should have been stopped.

Trump is now saying the same thing, but we didn’t adopt this stance because of him - we stated this from the 1st day of the war. And from the very 1st day, Georgia has been under pressure. We were urged to join sanctions, send volunteers, and support the war, even though we are neither NATO nor EU members. 20% of our territory is occupied.

We were left alone against a nuclear power, with promises like: “Go ahead, we will provide you with weapons...” Young pro-European activists were calling on us to go to war against Russia. The Government was expected to succumb to this pressure. The real question is: should Georgia have entered this war? We felt the strong support of our people in choosing the path of peace. One day, history will recognise that we saved our country. We had to tell our citizens the truth. I regret that at that time, President [Salome] Zourabichvili stood behind Moldova and Ukraine instead of standing with Georgia.

The importance of our actions was determined by our national interests in all conflicts. Unfortunately, this never happened under previous governments that were dependent on external forces. The people have seen this clearly. Former President Salome Zourabichvili claimed that Georgia was falling behind Ukraine and Moldova on the path to development, but statistics on human rights, democracy, and economic indicators prove that Georgia is far ahead of them. The Europe that matters to me is not influenced by disinformation. It is essential to assess the situation on the ground and see what results this government has achieved in terms of development.

I believe in European values, not in Brussels bureaucrats. I dare to say that Georgia could become an example of sovereignty for European countries. In this sense, Donald Trump’s views align with the position of the current Government. There are claims that the elections were rigged and so on.

However, for us, this witch-hunt orchestrated by European bureaucracy does not represent the real Europe, which, in my view, stands for diverse opinions and verification of facts. This is completely contrary to the decision to ban Georgian diplomatic passports from entering Europe…

As a parliamentarian, I held strict positions. As president, it’s different. I stand above parties. But I believe we must return to protecting values, parents, and family. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statements indicate that these directions will strengthen even further in the coming years. Regarding this, Georgia should no longer allow foreign ministers to interfere in elections and the country’s internal affairs”, - said Mikheil Kavelashvili.

According to him, as soon as foreign interference ends, it will be possible to unite society around three fundamental principles – homeland, language, and faith.

“Yes, Georgia must defeat wokism. Our opponents talk to us about human rights, but they’ve reached the point where an 8 or 9-year-old child can decide on gender change. We have resources: we will unite our society as soon as foreign interference ends, to unite around three fundamental principles: homeland, language, and faith.

Georgia has always fought for survival. It has great experience in this direction. After restoring independence, we are learning to maintain our sovereignty. Our Christian faith is closely tied to our identity. The Virgin Mary protects us. During certain periods in history, Georgia didn’t have a state. In these uncertain times, Georgians considered themselves a natural link between God and their homeland to protect their country.

We have many saints; these martyrs sacrificed themselves fighting the enemy to preserve the future for future generations. For them, the main thing was, as the great Ilia Chavchavadze said, homeland, language, faith. These 3 pillars remain relevant for our citizens. Hence my optimism: Georgian society will be able to unite around these civilizational values”, - concluded the President of Georgia.