Levan Makhashvili – Don’t Be Surprised When We Refrain from Inviting Observers If We See No Value in It

“When, for months, OSCE/ODIHR’s reputation is systematically and deliberately undermined, then don’t be surprised by our decision to refrain from inviting anyone—because we simply don’t see the value,” said Levan Makhashvili, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration, speaking to journalists.

According to him, the government has consistently told its opponents that if they truly see value in OSCE/ODIHR and its observation missions, then they should respect its conclusions and decisions.

“We’ve been saying this the entire time: if you believe there is value in OSCE/ODIHR and its observation missions, then respect their decisions, respect their findings and assessments. Instead, the source of the problem is being looked for elsewhere. The real source lies in the opaque funding, the radicalization, and the attacks on state institutions that we’ve witnessed over the past months,” Makhashvili stated.