Polish President Andrzej Duda has assured his Georgian counterpart of Warsaw’s “unwavering support” for Georgia’s EU aspirations, saying that the South Caucasus nation has an “inalienable right to move towards a united Europe.”
Georgia, a nation of 3.7 million, has found itself in the midst of a political crisis after the pro-Russian party Georgian Dream claimed victory in the October parliamentary elections.
The election results have been contested by the pro-EU opposition and President Salome Zourabichvili, who alleges the voting was tampered with.
Tensions came to an all-point high in November when the Georgian government suspended EU accession talks, sparking protests across the country.
On Monday night, Duda wrote on social media platform X platform that he spoke with Zourabichvili about the situation in her country.
He said: “I ensured Madam President of my unwavering support for her leadership and the European aspirations of the Georgian people.
“They have an inalienable right to move towards a united Europe.”
In mid-December, the electoral college appointed Mikheil Kavelashvili, endorsed by the Georgian Dream party, as the new president.
His inauguration has been scheduled for December 29.
Zourabichvili has already announced that she would contest his appointment, the same as she contests the newly elected parliament, a view shared by many Georgian citizens.
Duda said: “New elections in accordance with OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] recommendations are the way out of the current crisis.”
After the October elections in Georgia, OSCE indicated that irregularities were observed during the voting and said that the election took place with a disregard for democratic rules.
