In an interview with globalnews.ge, the fourth president of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, stated that the government of Georgia is more "flirting with Russia than with the European Union, unless it is managed directly from Moscow."

Margvelashvili remarked, "This is a simple form of propaganda, which is not an invention of the 'Georgian Dream'; it is a standard for an authoritarian state form – you have to scare the citizen and then you have to rule the frightened citizen." He went on to explain that in 2012, when Georgian Dream came to power, their political agenda was built on positivity, but it later shifted to promoting fear of the National Movement, and then of the opening the second front in Georgia. Margvelashvili expressed his frustration, stating, "In this case, we are talking about absolute surrealism, because, in fact, the West is not forcing us to war and is not providing Ukraine with the necessary support." He concluded by asserting that the constant emphasis on fear aims to suppress citizen demands and hinder progress. He further noted that attacks against various groups, including international organizations, are indicative of the government's autocratic tendencies.

"Degradation and weakening of institutions is also a classic form of authoritarian rule – everyone is bad, including us. But in this case, it is an intriguing method of manipulating people: everyone is bad, including the media, the church, non-governmental organizations... the government is also bad, the institutions are also bad, but you are afraid and you don't want change, let it stay as it is," said the former president of Georgia in an interview.

Against this backdrop, the former president discusses the issue of granting Georgia candidate status in a geopolitical context and believes that the West is preparing for the post-Putin period.

"The Europeans know that Ukraine will win, and they also anticipate significant changes in Russia. This will affect neighboring countries and new centers of political alignment will emerge. For example, Belarus will naturally align with Poland and Ukraine, Moldova with Romania and Ukraine, Azerbaijan is already close to Turkey, and Central Asia with China. There are two countries about which there is a question mark regarding their ally, these are Georgia and Armenia. It seems that, against this backdrop, our partners have begun to consider preparing for the post-Putin period. That's how I explain this step. This does not mean that the government of Georgia shares or deepens this agenda," said the fourth president of Georgia in an interview with globalnews.ge.