Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze canceled a meeting with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Elina Valtonen due to her participation in an anti-government rally. Valtonen claims she canceled the meeting herself due to a schedule change.
The Georgian government stated that Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze canceled a meeting with the current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, after her appearance at an anti-government rally in Tbilisi. However, Valtonen claims that the meeting was canceled at her own initiative, UNN reports.
What does the Georgian government say?
Due to yesterday's participation in an illegal rally and false statements, the Prime Minister canceled the planned meeting with the Finnish Foreign Minister.
– reads the statement released by the Georgian government.
What reason did the OSCE head give?
The current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, told the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that the meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze was canceled at her own initiative due to a change in schedule.
"Unfortunately, I myself had to cancel the meeting with the Prime Minister to make it to Azerbaijan," Valtonen said, noting that she had informed the Georgian side the evening before.
According to the publication, as part of her tour of the South Caucasus countries, Valtonen planned to meet with the leadership of Azerbaijan on October 14, but the plans changed due to the sudden departure of President Ilham Aliyev to the "Summit of Peace" on Gaza, organized by US President Donald Trump in Egypt. Valtonen had to reschedule negotiations with him for Wednesday.
Let's add
According to "News Georgia", Tengiz Sharmanashvili, a member of the ruling "Georgian Dream" party, called the statement of the Finnish Foreign Minister a "fabrication". According to him, it is "unbelievable" that meetings scheduled through "diplomatic channels" would be even a minute behind schedule.
"Imagine that due to a change in schedule (she says): you know what, Mr. Prime Minister, I cannot meet with you, I have other things to do. Judge for yourself how serious such a statement is," Sharmanashvili said on "Imedi".
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On the morning of October 15, the administration of the Georgian government issued a statement saying that Kobakhidze had canceled a meeting with the Finnish Foreign Minister due to her participation in an "illegal rally and false statements" about Georgia. The government was dissatisfied that Valtonen, after meeting with Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili, went to a protest rally in the center of Tbilisi. She expressed support for the demonstrators, who have been demanding early parliamentary elections for almost a year, considering the current government illegitimate.
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