Ruling party regional secretary condemns OSCE Moscow Mechanism report as attack on faith, national values

A member of Georgia’s parliamentary majority and regional secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Dimitri Samkharadze, has criticised the report prepared under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Moscow Mechanism.

In a social media post on Friday, Samkharadze suggested that the recommendations contained in the report could ultimately undermine Georgia’s religious traditions, national identity, and family values.

“They will soon tell Georgians not to pray and to abolish the Patriarchate! They want to take away our dignity, our faith, our ancestors, and our future. There is no other way to read these demands,” he wrote.

Samkharadze defended legislation adopted by the Georgian authorities on issues including the promotion of family values, restrictions on gender transition procedures, and the protection of minors, arguing that attempts to criticise or repeal the laws represented an effort to weaken the country.

He also accused domestic and external actors of attempting to create political instability, claiming that critics of the government “openly and clearly” sought the destruction of Georgia and the Georgian people.

“The OSCE report has openly confirmed once again that there are those who want to destroy Georgia and the Georgian nation. We will not submit. We will defend our homeland, faith, peace, and the future of the next generation. Georgia will not be brought to its knees,” Samkharadze added.

The comments come amid debate following the publication of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism report, which examines developments in Georgia since the spring of 2024 in relation to human rights and fundamental freedoms and includes a set of recommendations.