Her tone is calm but firm. "No photos. My hair's not done and I'm not wearing make-up." A half-smile followed: "Unless you want to give an unflattering image of the president?" When Le Monde met her at the presidential palace in Tbilisi on Wednesday, December 4, 72-year-old Salomé Zurabishvili was emerging from yet another emergency meeting following the arrest of a political opponent by the ruling Georgian Dream party. With her well-groomed appearance, dressed in a blue blazer that matched her eyes, the Georgian president hardly looked unkempt, but she knows better than anyone the power of symbolism. While her role is essentially ceremonial, there's no question of her appearing worn out at a time when her country is facing one of the most serious crises in its history, and when she herself is fighting the battle of a lifetime.

The moment is perilous. "Tragic," she said. Since the government announced on November 28 that it was suspending the process of joining the European Union until 2028, unrest has reigned in this former Soviet republic in the Caucasus, which has a population of just 3.7 million. A year after Georgia was granted EU candidate status, the historic opportunity seems to be slipping away in favor of a rapprochement with Russia, whose troops occupy 20% of the territory following the 2008 war with Moscow.

You have 87.57% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.