TBILISI, November 18 – Representatives from Tbilisi, the Russian-backed authorities in Tskhinvali, and international observers met in the village of Ergneti on Tuesday for a scheduled meeting of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM). The Georgian State Security Service said the meeting reviewed all major incidents recorded since the previous meeting, including the killing … Read more
TBILISI, October 16 – Georgia’s diplomatic rift with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) widened on Thursday after the government fined Elina Valtonen, Finland’s foreign minister and current OSCE chair, for joining an anti-government protest during her recent visit to Tbilisi. The Interior Ministry confirmed to Interpressnews that Valtonen was fined 5,000 … Read more
They come to Tbilisi, are taken on a tour, and “taken for a ride” by a conspicuous crowd of people who happen to be out of government at the moment. The latest was Finland’s Elena Valtonen, who did the rounds: dropped by the opposition demonstrators at parliament to show support, met with the usual NGO … Read more
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 … Read more
TBILISI, October 15 – The chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Finland’s foreign minister Elina Valtonen visited protesters outside Georgia’s parliament on Tuesday evening, speaking briefly with demonstrators before continuing her official meetings in the capital. Protesters told Georgian media that Valtonen discussed the goals and content of their … Read more
TBILISI, October 2 – Three of Georgia’s most high-profile non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have announced they will not conduct election monitoring during the country’s local elections on October 4, breaking with decades of practice. Transparency International Georgia (TI Georgia) said October 2 that it would abstain from observing the vote for the first time in its … Read more
TBILISI, September 8 – Georgia’s ruling party has made a sharp U-turn just weeks before crucial local elections, announcing that it will invite international observers from the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to monitor the October 4 vote. The decision, confirmed by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Thursday evening, comes after … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), is rejecting claims that it supported a critical resolution passed by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Porto on July 3. The resolution, which includes a condemnation of democratic backsliding in Georgia, calls for the release of political prisoners and the holding of new elections. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili … Read more
TBILISI, DFWatch–Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), is rejecting claims that it supported a critical resolution passed by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Porto on July 3. The resolution, which includes a condemnation of democratic backsliding in Georgia, calls for the release of political prisoners and the holding of new elections. Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili … Read more