Georgia issues protest note to OSCE over Elina Valtonen's visit

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia (MFA) expresses concern regarding the visit to Georgia by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen, in her capacity as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, according to a statement, Report informs via Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB).

The ministry addressed the OSCE Secretariat and participating states with a protest note, the Foreign Ministry told GPB.

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.