TBILISI, October 15 – The Georgian government on Wednesday canceled a planned meeting between Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Elina Valtonen, Finland’s foreign minister and the current chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), after she briefly visited an anti-government protest outside parliament.
In a statement, the government said Valtonen had made “false statements” and taken part in an “illegal rally,” adding that the prime minister saw “no point” in proceeding with the meeting. The Finnish minister arrived in Georgia on October 14, met with Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, and later walked to the protest area, where she spoke with demonstrators. Protesters told Georgian media that Valtonen asked about their goals and the reasons for their protest.
The following day, Valtonen went on a field trip with the EU’s monitoring mission in Georgia (EUMM), which carries out work formerly done by the OSCE before the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. There she issued a written statement reaffirming Finland’s and the OSCE’s support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in line with the Helsinki Principles, and urged Russia to comply with its obligations under the 2008 ceasefire agreement.
Political analysts Rezonansi spoke to described the cancellation as a breach of diplomatic etiquette but said it would not seriously worsen already tense relations between Georgia and its Western partners. “The relationship is already so strained that this will likely end with statements, not sanctions,” analyst Davit Zurabishvili told the newspaper.
Another analyst, Petre Mamradze, said he did not expect further deterioration, calling the situation a continuation of Georgia’s deeper dispute with Western institutions. He argued that Valtonen’s appearance at the protest was “based on falsehoods” and that the OSCE was “standing on the side of anti-national forces.”
Zurabishvili, however, said Valtonen’s visit to the protest was a symbolic gesture showing “European sympathy” for civic activists challenging the Georgian government. “It was a signal that the protests have the attention, and even the sympathy, of Europe and the OSCE,” he said.
Valtonen, who has served as Finland’s foreign minister since 2023, did not comment about the cancellation, posted several messages on X about her meetings in Georgia. In one, she wrote: “Despite repeated calls from international bodies, including the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, repression against civil society actors, peaceful protesters, and independent journalists continues.”
