CoE Secretary General: “Working conditions with Georgia have deteriorated”

Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has expressed concerns over the worsening political climate in Georgia, stating that the current working conditions are worse than they were two or three months ago.

In an interview with Radio Free Europe’s Moldovan service, Berset voiced alarm over police actions against demonstrators in Georgia and reaffirmed the Council of Europe’s commitment to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

“We are working closely with various organizations, including the Human Rights Commissioner, the Council of Europe, and the Committee Against Torture. We will continue this cooperation. The fact that Georgian representatives are currently absent from the Parliamentary Assembly will, I hope, not hinder our intergovernmental collaboration. We must remain committed not to the Georgian government but to its people. There are **four million people in Georgia with European aspirations, and we must stand with them,” Berset stated.

Berset visited Tbilisi in December, where the Georgian government reportedly pledged to amend the controversial “Foreign Influence Transparency Law”. However, a later Council of Europe report revealed that Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze rejected the idea of forming a working group to revise the law.