Georgian ruling party MP slams OSCE Chair Valtonen’s visit to protest site
Chakvetadze wrote “If the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office was impartial, she would visit the police officers injured by the revanchists and condemn the violent protests. Otherwise, her appearance on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi could be perceived as an encouragement of radicalism"
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Front News Georgia
A member of Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, Giorgi Chakvetadze, has criticised the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Finland’s Foreign Minister, Elina Valtonen, for visiting demonstrators gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi on Tuesday.
In a post on X, Chakvetadze wrote “If the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office was impartial, she would visit the police officers injured by the revanchists and condemn the violent protests. Otherwise, her appearance on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi could be perceived as an encouragement of radicalism.”
Chakvetadze’s comments come after Valtonen met with Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili and later appeared outside Parliament, where she addressed peaceful demonstrators expressing concern over the government’s political direction.
Valtonen’s visit - which included meetings with civil society groups and statements urging the protection of democratic freedoms - drew criticism from members of the Georgian Government, who described the demonstration as “illegal.”
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze subsequently cancelled his scheduled meeting with Valtonen, citing her “participation in an illegal rally” and “false statements.
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