'Back to her employers': Former Georgian President with Pro-Western Views Accepts Fellowship in the US
Salome Zourabichvili is set to continue advocating for a new election in her position, according to a statement from the McCain Institute. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Salome Zourabichvili will continue to call for new elections in the former Soviet republic, according to the McCain Institute.
Former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has been appointed as a fellow at the McCain Institute at Arizona State University, as announced by the US academic institution. This institute honors the late John McCain, a former US senator and a prominent advocate for foreign policy, who notably supported the Western-backed coup that led to the overthrow of the Ukrainian government in 2014.
The speaker of Georgia’s parliament criticized the appointment, stating that Zourabichvili is returning to "the entity that employed her."
Zourabichvili, born in France and known for her pro-Western viewpoint during her presidency, has been selected for the 2025 Kissinger Fellowship, which is named after former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the McCain Institute reported on Monday.
In response to the announcement earlier this week, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili drew comparisons between Zourabichvili's new role and ex-President Mikhail Saakashvili’s previous positions abroad.
“Almost 12 years ago, a similar gesture was extended to ..Saakashvili, at Tufts University,” he noted on X on Tuesday. “Despite having pledged allegiance to Georgia alone, Saakashvili later became a Ukrainian citizen, and Zourabichvili too, eventually, is likely to return to her native France.”
Papuashvili concluded that neither individual truly served Georgia, but returned instead “to the entity that employed them.”
In December, Georgian MPs elected Mikhail Kavelashvili as president. The former Manchester City football player is a member of the People’s Party, which, together with Georgian Dream, formed the country’s ruling coalition after last year’s elections.
Zourabichvili, however, refused to acknowledge Kavelashvili as her successor, alleging that the parliamentary vote in October that resulted in a decisive victory for Georgian Dream was rigged.
Despite presenting no evidence of fraud, the pro-Western opposition protested for weeks following the election, demanding a rerun. Zourabichvili supported these protests, appearing among the demonstrators. The 72-year-old also threatened to remain in the presidential palace in Tbilisi but eventually vacated the premises in late December.
Georgia operates as a parliamentary republic, where the prime minister and government hold executive power, while the role of the president is largely ceremonial.
The McCain Institute noted that during her presidency from 2018 to 2024, Zourabichvili “forcefully defended Georgia’s path to EU and NATO integration and supported democratic reform, famously vetoing the Georgian Dream government’s Kremlin-modeled ‘foreign agent law’ and standing against the party’s autocratic turn.”
In her new capacity, Zourabichvili “will use her vast diplomatic, leadership, and policymaking experience to push for new elections and a democratic path forward in her country,” the institute stated.
In May, the parliament in Tbilisi overruled Zourabichvili’s veto and passed legislation requiring NGOs, public institutions, media outlets, and individuals receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents and disclose their donors.
The Georgian political opposition strongly opposed the bill, labeling it a “Russian law” and accusing the ruling party of emulating legislation that was enacted in Russia in 2012. The ruling party, however, claimed that the law was inspired by the US Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, emphasizing that the Georgian version is much more lenient than its American equivalent.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated last month that the law had helped to prevent a coup that had been planned in Georgia with the aid of “foreign funding.”
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
Former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has been appointed as a fellow at the McCain Institute at Arizona State University, as announced by the US academic institution. This institute honors the late John McCain, a former US senator and a prominent advocate for foreign policy, who notably supported the Western-backed coup that led to the overthrow of the Ukrainian government in 2014.
The speaker of Georgia’s parliament criticized the appointment, stating that Zourabichvili is returning to "the entity that employed her."
Zourabichvili, born in France and known for her pro-Western viewpoint during her presidency, has been selected for the 2025 Kissinger Fellowship, which is named after former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the McCain Institute reported on Monday.
In response to the announcement earlier this week, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili drew comparisons between Zourabichvili's new role and ex-President Mikhail Saakashvili’s previous positions abroad.
“Almost 12 years ago, a similar gesture was extended to ..Saakashvili, at Tufts University,” he noted on X on Tuesday. “Despite having pledged allegiance to Georgia alone, Saakashvili later became a Ukrainian citizen, and Zourabichvili too, eventually, is likely to return to her native France.”
Papuashvili concluded that neither individual truly served Georgia, but returned instead “to the entity that employed them.”
In December, Georgian MPs elected Mikhail Kavelashvili as president. The former Manchester City football player is a member of the People’s Party, which, together with Georgian Dream, formed the country’s ruling coalition after last year’s elections.
Zourabichvili, however, refused to acknowledge Kavelashvili as her successor, alleging that the parliamentary vote in October that resulted in a decisive victory for Georgian Dream was rigged.
Despite presenting no evidence of fraud, the pro-Western opposition protested for weeks following the election, demanding a rerun. Zourabichvili supported these protests, appearing among the demonstrators. The 72-year-old also threatened to remain in the presidential palace in Tbilisi but eventually vacated the premises in late December.
Georgia operates as a parliamentary republic, where the prime minister and government hold executive power, while the role of the president is largely ceremonial.
The McCain Institute noted that during her presidency from 2018 to 2024, Zourabichvili “forcefully defended Georgia’s path to EU and NATO integration and supported democratic reform, famously vetoing the Georgian Dream government’s Kremlin-modeled ‘foreign agent law’ and standing against the party’s autocratic turn.”
In her new capacity, Zourabichvili “will use her vast diplomatic, leadership, and policymaking experience to push for new elections and a democratic path forward in her country,” the institute stated.
In May, the parliament in Tbilisi overruled Zourabichvili’s veto and passed legislation requiring NGOs, public institutions, media outlets, and individuals receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents and disclose their donors.
The Georgian political opposition strongly opposed the bill, labeling it a “Russian law” and accusing the ruling party of emulating legislation that was enacted in Russia in 2012. The ruling party, however, claimed that the law was inspired by the US Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, emphasizing that the Georgian version is much more lenient than its American equivalent.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated last month that the law had helped to prevent a coup that had been planned in Georgia with the aid of “foreign funding.”
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
