Georgian PM cancels talks after Finnish minister joins Tbilisi rally
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has canceled a planned meeting with Elina Valtonen, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Finnish Foreign Minister, after she attended an ongoing nightly pro-EU rally on Tbilisi’s Rustaveli Avenue.
“Yesterday, for participating in an illegal rally and making false statements, the Prime Minister canceled the planned meeting with the Finnish foreign minister,” the Georgian government said in a Facebook post on October 15, News.Az reports, citing Georgian media.
Valtonen, who is visiting Georgia as part of her South Caucasus tour, appeared late on October 14 at the pro-EU, anti-government rally on Rustaveli Avenue, where demonstrators have gathered nightly outside Parliament for more than 320 days.
“Peaceful protestors have gathered in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia, to voice their concern over the repressive direction of their country. They have every right to democracy, freedom of expression, and basic human rights. We are here to support them,” Valtonen wrote on X, sharing a video filmed from the blocked avenue.
Peaceful protestors have gathered in front of the Parliament Building in Tbilisi, Georgia, to voice their concern over the repressive direction of their country. They have every right to democracy, to freedom of expression and basic human rights.
— Elina Valtonen (@elinavaltonen) October 14, 2025
We are here to support them. pic.twitter.com/6axn6usXay
Reacting to Valtonen’s appearance at the Rustaveli Avenue protests, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili, who represents the ruling Georgian Dream party, wrote on X: “What you observe is the scene of a few dozen radicals, who stormed the presidential palace a few days ago and injured 25 police officers, two of them gravely, blocking the road, in violation of law.”
He added, “What the Finnish minister and OSCE chairperson is doing right there is a violation of Georgian legislation. It also violates Article 41 of the Vienna Convention, which, ironically, was adopted in the same city where the OSCE is headquartered.”
Just so that you know: the street where the @OSCE chairperson (who is also Finnish foreign minister) is standing is the capital city’s main thoroughfare. What you observe is the scene of a few dozen radicals, who stormed the presidential palace a few days ago and injured 25… https://t.co/9gEOU7ZtkI
— Shalva Papuashvili 🇬🇪 (@shpapuashvili) October 15, 2025
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