OSCE representative on Georgian protests: 'I urge parties to rebuild trust'
OSCE urges trust amid Georgian protests
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Luis Grach, issued a statement expressing concern over recent developments in Georgia.
In the statement, Grach calls on all parties to engage in dialogue and emphasizes the inadmissibility of violence. He believes protesters should exercise their right to peaceful demonstration while respecting the law, and the police must show restraint. He also urges authorities to listen to the protesters and uphold fundamental freedoms.
“At this critical juncture, I call upon all sides to engage in a constructive and open dialogue to rebuild trust and strengthen democratic institutions. The people of Georgia deserve a peaceful and democratic future, and our Assembly remains dedicated to supporting efforts to achieve this goal,” Grach states.
He also highlights that the parliamentary elections on October 26 in Georgia were held in a deeply polarized environment, which persists to this day:
“As highlighted in the preliminary findings of the international election observation mission, the elections took place in a deeply polarized environment, which we still see today. While I encourage everybody to take into consideration the upcoming final report of the OSCE/ODIHR on the elections, I call upon all sides to engage in a constructive and open dialogue to rebuild trust and strengthen democratic institutions.”
On November 29, the ruling Georgian Dream party announced a suspension of the country’s EU accession process until 2028. In response, protests erupted in Tbilisi and other cities across Georgia.
For the past four days, special forces have violently dispersed protesters, using water cannons and other crowd control measures, beating and detaining demonstrators.
On December 1, the three Baltic states—Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—imposed joint sanctions on “those suppressing legitimate protests” in Georgia, banning them from entering their countries. The sanctions targeted high-ranking officials from the Interior Ministry as well as Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chairman of Georgian Dream.
