FM Botchorishvili Attends OSCE Ministerial in Malta

On December 4-6, the newly appointed Georgian Foreign Minister, Maka Botchorishvili, attended the OSCE Ministerial Meeting in Malta. During her visit, she met with the foreign ministers of Finland, Austria, Slovakia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. The information about the meetings have been provided by the Georgian Foreign Ministry’s press releases, however, they seem to be missing the description of the conversation topics that the Georgian Foreign Minister held with her Finnish and Austrian counterparts.

Meeting with the Austrian Counterpart

According to the press release of the Georgian Foreign Ministry, Botchorishvili met on December 5 with the Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Alexander Schallenberg. During the meeting, MFA says, the parties highlighted the “friendly relations” and “close cooperation” between the two countries in bilateral and multilateral formats. Discussions covered ongoing developments in Georgia, including the government’s efforts “to advance European integration,” with Austria reaffirming its support for Georgia’s EU membership aspirations.

The press release also noted that Botchorishvili thanked Austria for its support of Georgia’s European path and provided an update on the parliamentary elections and the involvement of international observers. The talks also focused on the regional security environment, with Botchorishvili describing the difficult situation in Georgia’s occupied territories. The Georgian side also thanked Austria for its strong support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Georgian MFA said.

Meanwhile, FM Alexander Schallenberg shared on social media that during the meeting with his Georgian counterpart, he had emphasized the “extreme concern” over the recent developments in Georgia and underlined the need to “fully respect” freedom of assembly and expression of demonstrators. “High time for government to engage with opposition and civil society in order to de-escalate polarization,” reads Austrian FM’s post.

Meeting with the Finnish Counterpart

Georgian Foreign Ministry’s brief press release on the meeting between Botchorishvili and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen reported that “at the meeting, the Ministers discussed issues of cooperation in international formats, including Finland’s upcoming Chairmanship in the OSCE and its priorities. As for the ongoing processes in Georgia, the Minister confirmed to her colleague the strong will of the Georgian government to make active efforts to achieve further successes in the country’s European integration process. The conversation touched upon the parliamentary elections held in Georgia. Maka Botchorishvili provided her colleague “with information on the assessment of the election process by international observers.”

FM Valtonen reported, on the other hand, that she had shared with FM Botchorishvili “serious concerns about the violence against peaceful protesters and the need for a full, impartial investigation of the October election.” The incoming OSCE Chair emphasized in her social media post that OSCE/ODIHR is currently working on its final report on the elections.

FM Botchorishvili at the OSCE Ministerial

At the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Malta, Maka Botchorishvili discussed Russia’s occupation of Georgia, stressing that “the ongoing war in Ukraine is a continuation of Russia’s aggressive actions in Georgia, which poses the greatest threat to European security”.

Botchorishvili highlighted the dire security, human rights and humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region, and criticized Russia’s non-compliance with the 2008 EU-brokered ceasefire agreement. It called for enhanced international security and monitoring mechanisms in the occupied territories and stressed the need for a consolidated policy of peaceful settlement supported by the international community, in particular through the Geneva International Discussions.

The media reported that Bochorishvili was one of the ministers who walked out in protest during the speech of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The Minister claimed that Georgia’s government is commited to EU integration, denying that the Government intends to stop accession negotiations with the EU, and warned against “political speculation”, which exacerbated polarization and threatened the country’s stability. Botchorishvili also expressed appreciation for the role of the OSCE/ODIHR in monitoring the Georgian parliamentary elections, but criticized the ongoing speculation about the elections as an attempt to create “artificial political crisis.”

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