"I will not be the president who plays the fool"

Salome Zurabishvili won the presidential election in Georgia. According to the Central Electoral Commission, after counting 100% of the vote, it won 59.52% of the vote.

His rival in the elections, Grigol Vashadze, did not acknowledge the results of the vote, saying that "Georgia has no president" and demanded the holding of early parliamentary elections.

Salome Zurabichvili was born in France into a family of Georgian political emigrants and worked for many years as a diplomat at the French Foreign Ministry.

She arrived in Georgia in 2003 as an ambbadador for France, but in 2004 she became Foreign Minister in Mikhail Saakashvili's government. Then she received Georgian citizenship.

Russian service correspondent BBC Olga Ivshina meet Salome Zurabishvili in Tbilisi.

BBC: For the first time, the Georgian president will have such limited powers. Does this mean that you will be a decorative figure?

Salomé Zurabishvili: On the one hand, the president of the new Constitution will have less executive power. But it is still the president, elected directly by the people and with, as you have seen, a big advantage.

And this president was elected for six years at a time when Georgia is going through a very important final transition, I would say, towards democracy and the European way.

Therefore, I think that the president will have an influence in this direction: first, by using the support of the people, by convincing the government of the need for some changes, and second, by showing people an example of the changes that are taking place. should occur in society.

We are moving in that direction, we have had very democratic elections. Difficult campaign, but democratic elections, very peaceful. And the participation rate shows that we have a very active population politically who knows what she wants, who has chosen Europe.

BBC: As president, what exactly can you do to bring about change?

Salomé Zurabishvili: The president can be very active in two areas. The first is international politics, this is stated in the Constitution. These six years will be very important for Georgia, which is progressing towards integration with Europe, the European Union and NATO.

Meanwhile, we need to address this as much as possible or fully integrate. And I will be the most active president on the subject. I will remember that it was Mrs Vike-Freiberga (President of Latvia from 1999 to 2007) who had led her country to the European Union and to NATO. That's my goal.

And of course, make Georgia more visible on the world map in many ways, mainly on the cultural level. Show the world what Georgia is because many countries do not know it. They saw it somewhere on the map, but in reality they do not know us.

In addition, there are many activities in the interior of the country. We have a Euro-badociation, legislation is in preparation and we need to change our mentality in the same direction.

I grew up in Europe, I was French diplomat for over 30 years. I know what is European society, how do we approach it, how do we unite citizens.

We need to go beyond the post-Soviet post-Soviet mentality, which is still present in the last 25 years of Georgia's independence.

And we must move towards the unification of the population, because if we do not unite in the country, we will not be able to return to the territories occupied by Russia. And this is perhaps now the most important and common goal of the Georgian people.

BBC: Do you think that Georgia can really join NATO in the near future? Do not you think that sometimes NATO uses Georgia to upset Russia?

Salomé Zurabishvili: No, I do not think NATO uses Georgia. I think anything is possible, otherwise I would not be the president of Georgia now. Nowadays, time pbades very quickly.

I remember the precedents where people were trying to achieve that. I was French diplomat when we worked on the enlargement of the European Union in 2004, and many thought that it was impossible. Therefore, I think nothing is impossible.

We must work very intensively, we must act gradually, explaining to the Georgian people what the movement for the European Union will represent for their daily life. That's what they want. We must make sure of it.

BBC: You mentioned Russia several times. Who is Vladimir Putin for you?

Salomé Zurabishvili: Hah When I negotiated with his foreign minister about the withdrawal of the Russian military bases, Vladimir Putin was probably different from what he is today, because Russia had then decided to withdraw its military bases of the Georgian territory.

I do not think that happens now, even though I have the same diplomatic skills. I think that now, after the Russian-Georgian war of 2008, the fact that Russia considers the independence of the two occupied territories blocks any possibility of dialogue with Russia.

For something similar in the future, we need the same configuration as when I was Foreign Minister, namely to have very close support and collaboration with our European and American partners.

In the current configuration and given the aggressive attitude of Russia, it is impossible to remain alone. Therefore, we must be closer to our partners and have them close to us and behind us.

BBC: But without negotiations with Russia, it is impossible to resolve the conflict.

Salomé Zurabishvili: We should have a dialogue in the future, but we should not do it alone, it should be part of a common dialogue. If this happens, it should be led and supported by our partners.

During negotiations with Russia, before and after each session, I consulted the leaders of the European Union and the US Embbady. And the second part of the negotiations knew it and accepted it.

And it's a clear position of Georgia: we can not be fooled, and I will not be the president who plays the fool.

We must build our position and coordinate it with our European partners. If they start a dialogue with Russia, we must make sure that Georgia is not left out, that its principles – sovereignty, territorial integrity – are part of the negotiations and that they are protected reliably. .

BBC: What's more difficult: to be a French diplomat or a Georgian politician?

Salomé Zurabishvili: It is much harder to be a Georgian politician. It's a big challenge, this country is always at a crossroads. And we have yet to accept many things which, for the French diplomat, are taken for granted.

It's very interesting. Georgian society yesterday gave me great confidence and I feel this responsibility but also this strength.

BBC: Do you want to give Mikhail Saakashvili Georgian citizenship if he asks for it?

Salomé Zurabishvili: I doubt it because you must first deal with the criminal cases brought against him. It is not a question of citizenship, it is above all a question of justice.

There is a clear problem in his statements with which he spoke yesterday and today, calling the police and the army to take sides. He lost contact with this country. Today, it is a stranger who calls for the destabilization of the situation in the country.

What this country does not need is more instability. The voices that people voiced yesterday were votes for stability, the future of Georgia in Europe. That's why I'm here.

BBC: Some say that this election does not concern the choice between you and Vashadze, but the choice between Ivanishvili and Saakashvili. Is it true?

Salomé Zurabishvili: It's both. It's the choice between a European diplomat and a Soviet diplomat. And it was also a choice between the past – Saakashvili, whose regime was cruel to the people – and the Georgian dream, led by Ivanishvili.

The company may be currently very disappointed, but the country needs at least six years of complete stability. Because without this we can not be part of Europe, which more than 80% of Georgians want.

BBC: What do you think will be the most difficult for you both for the president and for the country in the next six years?

Salomé Zurabishvili: The most difficult ones will be the first weeks or months when we will have to join together, as I said, for a difficult campaign. I was personally attacked.

There was a lot of false news. It is a type of Soviet false news, which we now know in Europe and the United States. They even called me a KGB agent, which for me was amazing, but I suddenly discovered that there were people who believe in it.

But we should leave these things in the past, calm ourselves and begin the process of unification, which has not occurred in this country for many years.

It will not be easy because it means we have to turn to my opponent, who has not yet recognized the election results. This process will be slow, but I will dedicate it myself.

BBC: Do you think you can maintain your independence? Some still doubt it.

Salomé Zurabishvili: It's funny because some doubted it even when the ruling party, the Georgian Dream, did not support me. People said, "They will never support it, because it is too independent, the ruling party will not support it. It is too hard for them. "

And suddenly I became too dependent. I think I have been independent throughout my career and people who knew me in France can confirm it.

I was independent when Saakashvili appointed me Foreign Minister. And when my principles were no longer respected, our roads diverged. This is the level of independence that I have the intention of preserving.

I am ready to cooperate, because I think we need a serene country in which the government and parliament work, and we must find a way to interact. But I will defend my independence if anyone begins to question my principles.

BBC: How do you perceive the fact that you are the first female president of Georgia?

Salomé Zurabishvili: Awesome!

BBC: But Georgia is usually badociated with the image of a strong man.

Salomé Zurabishvili: No Of course, this is not false news, but it is a misconception of our country. There were many strong women in the history and culture of Georgia. Woman baptized our country. And in the most beautiful moments of Georgia, we were led by a woman who called herself the king, so she was strong.

So there is no contradiction in having a female president. I think this is important for Georgia and on the world stage. There are only ten women presidents in the world, including Georgia.

I think it's a powerful signal for both the outside world and for women in Georgia. And I think I will extract a lot of useful information from the solidarity that exists between the women leaders of the countries.

BBC: Do you think people are a little tired of the promises made by the West? Georgia has announced its willingness to join NATO more than 15 years ago. There were many promises, but little has been done.

Salomé Zurabishvili: Not really. Georgia initially received an badociation agreement, but not from NATO. And we see the specific consequences in everyday life. And they also know that, although we are not members of NATO, there is no alternative to the level of security that NATO can provide.

And what we see today in Ukraine is only pushing the Georgian people to the idea that we need more NATO, not less. I do not think that Georgian citizens belong to these disappointed Europeans of Europe. On the contrary, they hope very much to get closer to Europe. And I think their voices confirm it.

BBC:How do you intend to maintain a balance in relations with Europe and Russia? After all, Russia is your neighbor.

Salomé Zurabishvili: This is not a balance. I know that they said by mistake about me, that I wanted to balance … it is also a false news because I have never talked about cooperation with Russia.

I do not think that until now Russia behaves like that on the line of occupation, where people are kidnapped every day, and while this line, this constant threat, is moving towards the Inland, closer to Tbilisi, and considering the way Russia behaves now As far as Ukraine is concerned, I do not think we can go to cooperation today.

I do not think there is a balance here. We are the West, we are Europe, we are pro-European. If the West, Europe or our American partners enter into a dialogue with Russia in one form or another, we will also be present, we will follow it so that our principles, our sovereignty and our territorial integrity are respected. .