Georgian Parliament Speaker: after being exposed in embracing domestic terrorists, responsible politician would resign as acting Chair of OSCE

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Friday accused Elina Valtonen, the Finnish Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, of associating with domestic terrorists, calling for her immediate resignation after videos surfaced showing her interacting with an individual linked to the violent October 4 attack on the President's Palace.

In a social media message, Papuashvili criticised Valtonen for filming a video with Mariam Mekanqishvili, identified as an extremist and organiser of the October 4 mob assault on the President's Palace, as revealed by footage from the Georgian Interior Ministry.

“In the other video, Mariam Mekantsishvili, the same extremist who complained to the Minister about the poor democratic standards in Georgia, is exposed as one of the organisers of the violent mob in the process of the assault on the presidential palace on October 4. The footage has been published today by Georgia’s Ministry of Interior after her arrest this morning”, Papuashvili said.

“When a European politician gets caught validating those involved in domestic terrorism, one must ask: is she unaware of what she is doing or is she deliberately vindicating evil? Neither answer is encouraging”, he continued.

The Speaker questioned whether Valtonen's actions stemmed from ignorance or deliberate endorsement of violence, labelling it as emblematic of the EU's misguided foreign policy toward Georgia and urging her to step down from her OSCE role.

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“What was obvious to every Georgian – that the Minister’s appearance in front of the Parliament meant the support for the radicals – proved factually correct. Precisely such frivolous activism is an example of current EU foreign policy. We, Georgians, have no right to pursue or tolerate such frivolousness, as it is both dangerous and alien to our values. Actually, this is the real issue that Brussels has with Georgia”, the Speaker noted.

“With this in mind, I am fully aware that calls for the right behaviour are futile. However, after being exposed in embracing domestic terrorists, a responsible politician would resign as acting Chair of OSCE”, he concluded.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday sharply criticised Elina Valtonen, the Finnish Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, following her appearance at an “unlawful” protest rally in Tbilisi, accusing her of violating standards, engaging in “rude and incorrect” behaviour, and spreading falsehoods.