On the evening of July 3, tens of thousands of Georgians took to the streets of the capital Tbilisi. It’s the second time in two weeks, and new appointments are announced. The reason for this mobilization is that the inhabitants of the country overlooking the Black Sea do not want to miss the train of history, after the European Union refused Georgia the status of “candidate” at the last Brussels summit, concerning it instead to Ukraine and Moldova.
The anger of the Georgians is not directed so much against the 27 as towards their political leaders, also because the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen was clear: “The door is open. Now it’s up to Georgia to take the necessary steps to move forward ”.
Protesters in Tbilisi demand the exit of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, a billionaire accused of undermining the rule of law and being too close to Moscow. The population would like Garibashvili to be replaced by a national unity government charged with positioning Georgia on a European trajectory. This requires greater independence of justice, respect for press freedom and a more resolute fight against corruption. In a country with fewer than four million inhabitants, the numbers of demonstrations are astonishing. Furthermore, a recent poll indicates that 80 per cent of Georgians would like the country to join the European Union someday, marking a strong growth in this position after the invasion of Ukraine.
A past that makes itself felt
The war in Ukraine has awakened not too distant memories for Georgians. In 2008, Georgia experienced a much shorter war with Russia, but it still bears the mark: about 20 percent of Georgian territory is currently in the hands of pro-Russian separatists, in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russian troops are deployed in the two territories.
In the geopolitical tug-of-war on the Union’s eastern borders for over four months, Georgia does not want to be forgotten. At the end of February, President Salomé Zourabichvili was in Paris to support the cause of her country, while last month she participated in demonstrations in Tbilisi showing a Georgian and a European flag.
But this former French diplomat who became president of her home country does not belong to the same party as the prime minister and was even called to order by the majority party, Georgian Dream, for her visit to Paris. Zourabichvili’s powers are quite limited.
Some Georgians make a comparison with the protests in Maidan Square, the revolt that broke out in Kiev during the winter of 2013-2014 after the decision of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovyč not to sign the association agreement with the European Union. The following is well known: Janukovych was deposed, Russia invaded Crimea and the Donbass War began.
Georgia has a history of popular rebellion. In 2003 the “rose revolution” had led to the start of the break with the post-Soviet world, but according to one of the authors of the book Shards of empire, Central Asia, Caucasus, Afghanistanthat initiative did not produce major democratic changes.
In short, the construction site has stopped. This prevents Georgia, an ancient Caucasian nation at the crossroads of different worlds, from living its “European dream”. The next few weeks will tell us whether Georgians will be able to reverse the course of history.
(Translation by Andrea Sparacino)