OSCE Chair Valtonen: ‘what I saw in Georgia was deeply concerning’

Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and Finland’s Foreign Minister, Elina Valtonen, said she was “deeply troubled” by the situation in Georgia, citing “unacceptable repression” against ordinary citizens.

“I have just returned from the South Caucasus, and unfortunately, what I saw in Georgia was deeply concerning. The repression of ordinary people in the streets is something that is simply unacceptable,” Valtonen said ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg.

She added that Georgia now had more political prisoners per capita than Russia, calling it a “very serious signal for all of us.”

“This is clearly not the European path, nor is it the path chosen by the Georgian people. Therefore, we must show firmness in this regard,” the Finnish minister stressed.