Georgian MFA expresses concern over Elina Valtonen's visit, issues protest note to OSCE Secretariat and participating states

Georgian MFA expresses concern over Elina Valtonen's visit, issues pro...

In its note verbale to the OSCE Secretariat, the Foreign Ministry states that, beyond the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (CiO) program, Minister Elina Valtonen joined a street protest organised by a small group of anti-government activists who had been freely, though illegally, blocking the main avenue of Tbilisi on October 14. Public statements made by Minister Valtonen, which do not reflect the reality, constitute a deliberate attempt to mislead the international community regarding the situation in Georgia.“The Embassy of Georgia to the Republic of Austria, Permanent Representation of Georgia to the OSCE and other International Organisations in Vienna presents its compliments to the OSCE Secretariat and Missions/Delegations of the Participating States to the OSCE and has the honour to express concerns of the Government of Georgia regarding the visit of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland, H.E. Elina Valtonen, to Georgia in her capacity as the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (CiO).Beyond the CiO program, which included the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, H.E. Maka Botchorishvili, a visit to the occupation line, and a meeting with a few representatives of civil society, Minister Elina Valtonen joined a street protest organized by a small group of anti-government activists who had been freely, though illegally, blocking the main avenue of Tbilisi on October 14. Public statements made by Minister Valtonen, which do not reflect the reality, constitute a deliberate attempt to mislead the international community regarding the situation in Georgia.These actions contradict the spirit of cooperation under the OSCE and could be considered a clear abuse of the CiO mandate, undermining credibility and the expected neutrality.They are incompatible with universally recognised principles of international law, including respect for sovereignty and non-intervention in internal affairs, as reflected in the Helsinki Final Act, UN Resolution AJRES/20/2131, Rules and Procedure of the OSCE, and the spirit of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” reads the note verbale of Georgia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.On October 14 and 15, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Elina Valtonen, who is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, visited Georgia. On October 14, after meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Georgian Dream government, Maka Bochorishvili, she joined the ongoing protest in front of the parliament, which has been taking place since November 28 of last year.On October 14, she met with representatives of civil society in Tbilisi, and on October 15, she was at the occupation line.On October 15, Kobakhidze’s press service issued a statement that due to the presence of the Finnish Foreign Minister on Rustaveli Avenue, the Prime Minister of the Georgian Dream government canceled the planned meeting with him.According to the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, the Finnish Foreign Minister himself canceled the meeting with Irakli Kobakhidze and informed the host country about it on Tuesday, October 14th night.In a telephone comment to Helsingin Sanomat, Elina Valtonen explained that her “meeting with Prime Minister Kobakhidze was canceled not at the initiative of Georgia, but at the initiative of Finland, due to a change in the schedule, and the Georgians were informed about it the night before.”Today, October 16th, it became known that the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs fined the Finnish Foreign Minister 5,000 GEL for his presence at the October 14th rally - he is accused of “artificially blocking the road”.

Venice Commission publishes Opinion over Law on registration of foreig...

According to the statement, at the request of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Venice Commission, at its latest plenary session, adopted its Opinion on the Law of Georgia on registration of foreign agents (GEOFARA), the amendments to the Law on grants and other Laws relating to “foreign influence”.The statement reads that the Venice Commission has analysed these legislative acts through a systemic approach, in order to take into account the combined effect of simultaneously applicable laws on the same entities and individuals. In that context, the Commission recalled its earlier recommendation that where existing provisions of domestic legislation have proved to be insufficient to achieve a legitimate aim, the authorities should seek to amend and improve them, rather than adopting new laws.The Commission observed that the lack of clarity and precision of GEOFARA undermines the principle of legal certainty. The obligations imposed by the law contain open-ended formulations and are disproportionate. According to the Commission, the Anti-Corruption Bureau in charge of enforcement of the law is entrusted with excessively wide discretion, and it lacks sufficient guarantees of independence. Regarding criminal liability foreseen by the law, the broadly framed provisions describing the offence permit loose interpretation and lack the requisite justification, while criminal sanctions fail to meet the standard of proportionality.As regards the amendments to the Law on grants, the Commission observed that they introduced a general requirement of prior governmental approval for foreign grants, which lacked a demonstrated justification in terms of necessity and proportionality. The Commission noted, in particular, that the amendments provided no clear and objective criteria for refusal of grant applications and they lacked adequate safeguards.The Commission noted with concern that instead of considering less intrusive alternatives, the amendments to the Law on broadcasting introduced a blanket ban on foreign funding for broadcasters without distinguishing between funding that genuinely threatens democratic integrity and funding that supports legitimate journalistic and civic activities, which fails the standards of necessity and proportionality.In the Commission’s view, this new legislative framework risks undermining the rule of law, civic space, and democratic freedoms. The Commission therefore recommended repealing these legislative acts and improving the already existing framework instead. It further called for future law-making in this field to follow a systemic and inclusive approach, ensuring its legitimacy and broad acceptability.The Venice Commission reconfirmed that it remains open to dialogue with the authorities to address these shortcomings.

Kobakhidze Cancels Meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister

According to the Georgian government, the cancellation was due to Valtonen’s participation in an unauthorized rally and her allegedly false statements.Elina Valtonen attended an ongoing protest in front of the Parliament on October 14. Commenting on the demonstration, she wrote on X:"Peaceful protestors have gathered in front of the Parliament Building in Tbilisi, Georgia, to voice their concern over the repressive direction of their country. They have every right to democracy, to freedom of expression and basic human rights. We are here to support them."

OSCE Chair Valtonen to visit Georgia

According to the press release, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office will have meetings with high-level government officials.The agenda includes, among other items, the progress in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, with particular attention to the conclusion of the OSCE Minsk Process and its related structures.In Georgia, the meetings will centre on the country’s internal and external challenges, with a particular emphasis on the ongoing support of the OSCE for the Geneva International Discussions to address the aftermath of the 2008 war.“Finland, as Chair of the OSCE in 2025, places strong importance on safeguarding civic space and ensuring an enabling environment for civil society. This priority will be underlined throughout the visit,” the OSCE statement reads.

Papuashvili announces filing of lawsuit to declare UNM party unconstit...

“We saw great hysteria from the defenders of the National Movement, but October 4 gave us a sea of evidence. We reviewed the failed coup attempt not only from the perspective of restoring law and order, but also in detail with our lawyers. Evidence has been added that the National Movement is an extremist force undermining Georgian democracy and the state,” Papuashvili said.He also criticized international actors, claiming that foreign silence is a result of their indirect involvement in the events of October 4. “Foreigners realized they had created additional evidence against the National Movement and were involved as accomplices, which is why they remain silent,” Papuashvili added. He further urged opposition figures to reflect on their actions and consider whether they may have committed criminal offenses during the unrest.The move follows earlier statements by Georgian Dream prior to the 2024 parliamentary elections, when party leaders promised that the UNM and its satellite parties would be declared unconstitutional if the ruling party gained a constitutional majority. In March 2025, Mamuka Mdinaradze submitted a draft law to parliament seeking to ban the successors of the UNM from participating in elections.