Georgian ruling party head advocates OSCE engagement amidst Baltic, Ukraine Boycott

In response to the controversy surrounding the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Irakli Kobakhidze, Chairman of the ruling party Georgian Dream, stressed  the importance of using international forums to “safeguard Georgia’s national interests”.

During a parliamentary session, Kobakhidze addressed media inquiries about Georgia’s participation in the OSCE event, which Ukraine and the Baltic states are boycotting due to the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Kobakhidze argued that Georgia, being an OSCE member, should actively engage in such diplomatic platforms.

“Any format should be used to protect our national interests. When Blinken and Borrell attend, and the Georgian Foreign Minister does not, it becomes incomprehensible. The OSCE is crucial for discussing security issues, and we constantly use this format to highlight our national concerns, including the occupation of our territories,” Kobakhidze said. 

 

The opposition party Lelo hasurged Georgia’s Foreign Minister, Ilia Darchiashvili, to follow the lead of Ukraine and the Baltic nations by boycotting the OSCE session. Grigol Gegelia, a representative of the opposition group, claimed if Darchiashvili chose to attend, he should convey “explicit anti-Russian sentiments and express a clear boycott against Russia”, potentially by leaving the session.

The Baltic states recently announced their decision to boycott the OSCE meeting in Skopje, scheduled to begin on November 30, due to Lavrov’s attendance. This marks Lavrov’s visit to North Macedonia, the first NATO member state since the onset of the Ukraine conflict.During the previous OSCE ministerial meeting in Poland in 2022, Warsaw refused Lavrov entry into the country, reflecting the ongoing diplomatic tensions within the organisation.