“The right to peaceful assembly and demonstration is not negotiable. We strongly condemn any use of force against peaceful assembly.” During a visit to Georgia on Wednesday, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade and OSCE Chairperson Ian Borg stressed the importance of preventing violence against demonstrators and of holding perpetrators accountable, adding that aggression and intimidation have no place in dealing with protestors exercising their basic rights.
He was addressing the media in Tbilisi, a few hours after local police authorities clashed with protestors during mass demonstrations against new regulations on the funding of NGOs and media organisations.
“Every single OSCE participating State has lived through challenges. I am aware of the continuous effort required to overcome these challenges. But it is openness to change, guarding against complacency, and learning from our partners that helps us strengthen our societies. Every challenge becomes more manageable when we engage in constructive dialogue to achieve concrete results,” stated Minister Ian Borg.
In Georgia, the Maltese OSCE Chairpersonship delegation held talks with President Salome Zourabichvili, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilia Darchiashvili, Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili and members of Georgia’s delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The delegation will also be meeting Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday evening.
OSCE Chairperson Borg also met civil society representatives and visited conflict-affected areas in the region, at a section of the administrative boundary line, where he was briefed by the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia, on its role in maintaining stability in the region.
“OSCE continues to promote peace in the region, encouraging actions focusing on the interests of people affected by ongoing conflicts. Preventing human suffering is the guiding principle of our actions and we will spare no effort, in close collaboration with our partners, to address detention cases, promote freedom of movement, and raise crucial humanitarian issues such as displacement and missing persons,” affirmed the minister.
Malta began its 12-month Chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in January, under the theme ‘Strengthening Resilience, Enhancing Security’, after it was unanimously elected to head this organisation for the first time in its history, in November 2023.
Photo: MFET
