Georgian Parliament official defends country's democratic integrity during OSCE PA debate

Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Georgian Parliament and Head of Georgia's Permanent Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, on Wednesday criticised a motion presented during the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session, calling the claims against Georgia unfounded, politically motivated, and damaging to the credibility of the OSCE.

The debate was triggered by a statement from the Polish delegation, which raised concerns over Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary elections, the law on transparency of foreign influence, and supposed new legislation related to media and grants.

Samkharadze accused the sponsors of spreading misinformation and undermining the OSCE/ODIHR’s own observation mission.

“Georgia is a very active member of the OSCE, and the OSCE enjoys great respect in Georgia. With these absurd statements included in the additional item, the OSCE risks losing credibility in Georgian society, as the claims presented here require evidence. I believe this additional item is unsuccessful in many respects. Let me specify our arguments. First and foremost, the very first sentence contradicts the findings of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission report of October 26. Thus, the first two sentences are at odds with the OSCE/ODIHR report’s findings. Therefore, I would like to ask the main sponsor of this additional item why they are attempting to undermine the credibility of the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission. What is the point of having observation missions if some Assembly members still question them due to personal political interests or because they didn’t like the election results and have friends in opposition parties?” the official said.

Samkharadze emphasised that Georgia had not adopted laws referenced in the motion concerning TV, radio, or grant regulations, and that such statements reflect factual inaccuracies, highlighting Georgia’s firm position on Russia, underlining the country’s lack of diplomatic relations due to Russia’s occupation of 20 percent of Georgian territory.

“Second, it is very important to note that Georgia is a very active member of the OSCE, and the OSCE enjoys great respect in Georgia. With these absurd statements included in the additional item, the OSCE risks losing credibility in Georgian society, as the claims presented here require evidence. The final part, concerning the Russian Federation, states that the strengthening of ties with Russia is alarming. I believe the majority of this Assembly’s members know that Georgia, apart from Ukraine, is the only country in this Assembly that has no diplomatic relations or political contacts with Russia because 20 percent of Georgia’s territory is occupied by Russia. What kind of strengthening of ties is being referred to?”, he noted.

He also pushed back on suggestions that Georgia's European Union aspirations fall under the OSCE’s mandate, stating that EU integration was a bilateral matter between Georgia and the EU.

“I believe the main sponsor should provide evidence of what ties they are talking about. As for Georgia’s European integration, this organisation comprises 57 states, most of which are not members of the European Union. Georgia’s EU membership is an issue to be discussed between Georgia and the EU, and the OSCE has no say in this matter. This is a sovereign decision of Georgia and a sovereign decision of the EU, so these matters should not be conflated. This issue is beyond the OSCE’s mandate. Finally, regarding the law on television and radio, I don’t know what is meant by this; we don’t have such a law in Georgia. Likewise, I don’t know what is meant by a law on grants, as we don’t have such a law in Georgia either. So, factual errors have been made. I would be happy to hear which laws are being referred to, whether they are anti-democratic or unconstitutional, and what provisions these laws contain. We cannot make statements without evidence. I hope the committee will take these arguments into account”, Samkharadze concluded.