Georgian Parliament Speaker accuses OSCE Chair Valtonen of violating Georgian law, ‘encouraging radicalism’

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has criticised OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, accusing her of participating in an “illegal protest” in Tbilisi and breaching both Georgian law and the Vienna Convention.

Speaking during a bureau session in Parliament on Wednesday, Papuashvili said Valtonen’s appearance at a demonstration on Rustaveli Avenue the previous day, which he described as “unlawful,” represented “an attempt to instrumentalise international institutions and use them as a weapon against Georgian democracy.”

“We all saw it live - the OSCE Chairperson’s participation in an illegal protest and road blockage. In her statements, we heard attempts to spread false narratives. This is exactly what we mean when we say that international institutions are being instrumentalised and turned into tools against Georgian democracy,” Papuashvili said.

According to the Speaker, Valtonen “openly violated Georgian legislation” and breached Article 41 of the Vienna Convention by joining demonstrators who, as he claimed, were responsible for injuring 25 police officers, including two seriously, during earlier unrest near the presidential residence.

“The street where the OSCE Chairperson stood is the main avenue of the capital. You can see a few dozen radicals who recently stormed the president’s residence, injured police officers, and illegally blocked the road,” Papuashvili claimed.

He added that under Georgian law, road closures during assemblies were only permitted when the adjacent area could not accommodate large crowds - a condition he said was not met in this case. “Exactly where the Finnish minister stood, she was violating Georgian law and Article 41 of the Vienna Convention, adopted ironically in the same city where the OSCE is headquartered,” he said, adding that Valtonen’s actions “show support for the organisers of a violent coup attempt.”

Papuashvili further remarked that while Valtonen visited the occupation line near Odzisi the following morning “to demonstrate respect for Georgia’s sovereignty,” her presence on Rustaveli Avenue “contradicted that very principle.”

“There is no value in speaking of sovereignty in Odzisi while violating it on Rustaveli Avenue,” he said, arguing that Valtonen used her OSCE position “to advance a political agenda.”

The Speaker reiterated the ruling party’s narrative that “democracy prevailed” in Georgia following what he called “attempts to stage a coup” on 4 October. He praised Georgian voters for “choosing democracy” by participating in the local elections rather than joining street protests.

“Democracy won. The Georgian people did not take to the streets to overthrow the government but went to the polling stations to express their political will,” Papuashvili said. “Those who sought to return the country to the chaos of the 1990s were defeated.”

He congratulated the ruling party on its electoral success, noting that Georgian Dream secured majorities in all 64 municipalities, and thanked citizens for what he described as a “wise and fair decision in support of stability and democracy.”