Former Georgia President Giorgi Margvelashvili speaks at Notre Dame

NOTRE DAME, Ind. (WNDU) - European politics came to Notre Dame on Wednesday.

Giorgi Margvelashivili, the former President of Georgia, spoke on campus about Russian aggression in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.

Margvelashvili, an academic and politician, served as the fourth president from 2013 to 2018. As president, he focused on foreign policy, Georgia’s integration into NATO and the EU, and grassroots campaigns engaging youth and students in discussions on constitutional and electoral reform.

He asked why so many countries are looking to join NATO, nearly a year into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Because Russian policy, the region, is just basically attacking your neighbors, you are starting to look for the security and around,” Margvelashvili said. “That is one thing. Another thing is repeating this history of Putin’s emotions about the collapse of the Soviet Union, and making a psychological explanation of wars is the worse thing that could be done for the public opinion.”

When asked about Georgia’s Prime Minister not denouncing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He responded by saying the current government has an “extremely weak position” on the war.

The university gifted him a picture of the Golden Dome following the lecture.

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