Georgian Foreign Ministry briefs diplomatic corps on local elections and October 4 events

First Deputy Foreign Minister Giorgi Zurabashvili on Tuesday chaired a meeting with representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Tbilisi, providing an overview of the 2025 local self-government elections, their outcomes, and the events of October 4.

Zurabashvili emphasised that 28 international and 27 local organisations, as well as around 1,000 representatives from 73 media outlets, observed the elections. He noted that overall assessments confirmed the elections were held peacefully and transparently, with the process professionally administered, allowing citizens to exercise their democratic rights freely.

Addressing the October 4 developments, the Deputy Minister said that once the protest went beyond the boundaries established by law for peaceful assembly and manifestation, its organizers began making calls of a violent nature. Law enforcement, he added, responded within the law to restore public order.

Zurabashvili underlined the importance of an adequate assessment of the October 4 events and called on international partners to distance themselves from and condemn the violent actions of some demonstrators, which resulted in injuries to police officers and journalists, as well as damage to municipal infrastructure.

The Deputy Minister reaffirmed the Foreign Ministry’s readiness to continue close cooperation with international partners and the diplomatic corps accredited in Georgia.