Georgia to cooperate with OSCE despite Moscow Mechanism action
Georgia’s Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has criticized the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) over the activation of the Moscow Mechanism to assess human rights in Georgia, calling it an attempt to “subjugate” the Georgian people.
At the same time, he emphasized that Georgia is prepared to respond to any questions from the organization, News.Az reports, citing Georgian media.
“This is another example of how such organizations are used for attacks, intimidation, and the subjugation of the Georgian people — that is the main motive behind these initiatives. We have always said we are ready for dialogue and can answer any question on any matter, yet from Brussels we see a complete blockade of dialogue. They have taken a position of grievance,” Papuashvili said.
He also criticized the Georgian government’s perceived critics, specifically targeting Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whom he described as a “friend of the creator of the system of torture.” Papuashvili said Tusk, as head of the European People’s Party, which includes former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement, played a key role in triggering the mechanism.
“Representatives of the Polish authorities are the same people standing alongside Saakashvili, the creator of the system of torture,” Papuashvili added.
The Moscow Mechanism, activated by 24 OSCE member states, will now send an expert mission to Tbilisi to evaluate how Georgian authorities uphold their commitments to the OSCE. Officials said the mission will place “special emphasis” on events since spring 2024, a period marked by large-scale anti-government protests and violent dispersals of demonstrators. The report is expected to cover the impact of the current situation on civil society, media freedom, the rule of law, judicial independence, and political pluralism.
Introduced in 1991, the Moscow Mechanism was designed to address specific human rights issues. In its 35-year history, it has been applied only 16 times, including investigations into human rights violations in Belarus following the 2020 presidential elections and in Ukraine amid the ongoing war.
By Emil Kaziyev
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