Today, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, concluded her visit to Georgia.
The Chairperson-in-Office met with Minister for Foreign Affairs Maka Botchorisvili in Tbilisi. Chairperson-in-Office Valtonen also engaged with representatives of civil society and independent think tanks.
During the high-level meetings, Chairperson-in-Office Valtonen assured her interlocutors of the OSCE's sustained support to the Geneva International Discussions and the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism. Minister Valtonen witnessed the lasting consequences of the 2008 war during a visit to the Administrative Boundary line with the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia.
"The continuous attention of the international community to the conflict context is needed to address the concerns of people living near the dividing line. I commend the active efforts of my Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Ambassador Christoph Späti in this regard," said Minister Valtonen.
She also relayed the concerns of OSCE participating States and OSCE institutions about Georgia's democratic governance and restrictive legislation hampering the space for civil society, media professionals and journalists.
"Non-governmental organizations, human rights defenders, journalists, and other civil society actors are the lifeblood of democratic resilience. They challenge injustice, drive innovation and hold power to account. Their voices must not only be heard-they must be protected. The Georgian government needs to find a way out of the crisis, and to restore public trust in its democratic institutions," said Minister Valtonen.
She reiterated the OSCE's readiness to support Georgia in adhering to its commitments across all three dimensions of security.
