Georgian Foreign Ministry expresses concerns over Finish FM’s visit, her participation in street protest organised by small group of anti-government activists

Georgian Foreign Ministry on Thursday expressed concerns over the visit of the Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen as she 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.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry noted that the visiting official’s actions were contradicting the spirit of cooperation under the OSCE and could be considered a clear abuse of the Chairperson-in-Office mandate, undermining credibility and expected neutrality.

“The Embassy of Georgia to the Republic of Austria, Permanent Representation of Georgia to the OSCE and other International Organisations in Vienna presents its complements 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 Elina Valtonen to Georgia in her capacity as the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (CiO)”, the statement said.

“Beyond the CiO program, which included the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia 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 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 statement continued.

The Foreign Ministry further added that Valtonen’s actions were incompatible with universally recognised principles of international law, including respect for sovereignty and non-intervention in internal affairs.

“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 recognized principles of international law, including respect for sovereignty and non-intervention in internal affairs, as reflected in the Helsinki Final Act, UN Resolution A/RES/20/2131, Rules and Procedure of the OSCE and the spirit of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The Embassy of Georgia to the Republic of Austria, Permanent Representation of Georgia to the OSCE and other International Organisations in Vienna avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the OSCE Secretariat and Missions/Delegations of the Participating States to the OSCE the assurances of its highest consideration”, the statement concluded.

According to Imedi News, Valtonen has been fined for illegally blocking Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. The information was confirmed to Imedi News by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

As a reminder, during her visit to Georgia under the OSCE Chairperson’s mandate, Minister Valtonen joined an unlawful protest on Rustaveli Avenue, which sparked strong criticism from the ruling Georgian Dream party.

In response to the incident, the Prime Minister of Georgia canceled his scheduled meeting with the Finnish Foreign Minister.