The US Must Apply Pressure, Says Zurabishvili

The former president of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, is currently in Washington to highlight Georgia's issues for newly elected President Donald Trump and his foreign policy team. She is utilizing personal connections to convey these matters. This was reported by The Hill.

Zurabishvili's message is clear: the US cannot cede the region to Russia. Her view is that the US must exert pressure on Russia. "I had the opportunity to tell him that this is a strategic region that the US cannot forget. We cannot allow this region to pass into the hands of Russia. That is what we need to understand... I expect America to be engaged in this region because otherwise the region will go towards Russia and China," she stated.

Zurabishvili noted that Trump's new administration evidently has a different approach. "But the powerful America’s approach means they should be concerned about what is happening in the Caucasus and that region. Even if democracy as such is not a priority, geopolitics must be prioritized," she emphasized.

It is worth noting that Zurabishvili had a brief face-to-face meeting with Trump in December, facilitated by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.