PM Kobakhidze: OSCE report on Georgia under Moscow Mechanism ‘full of falsehoods’

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Saturday said the report on the country prepared under the Moscow Mechanism of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is “full of falsehoods.”

Speaking to journalists, the Prime Minister claimed that the process involved a conflict of interest, noting that the mechanism had been initiated, among others, by Poland and that the expert involved in preparing the report had previously represented the Polish government.

“This was a direct conflict of interest. The fact that this individual concealed the conflict of interest deepens the doubts. Everyone knows that the conclusion that was later published had been written in advance. In the end, we all see that this conclusion is filled with falsehoods from beginning to end,” Kobakhidze said.

He added the Government plans to present broader information to the public about what it considers inaccuracies in the report and may hold a special briefing on the issue.

“At the same time, I would like to note that the report also contains certain information and recommendations that correspond to reality and should be taken into account. Such entries also exist in the document,” Kobakhidze said.

According to the Prime Minister, the process behind the report was politically motivated, driven by what he described as narrow political interests.

“We know which countries were at the forefront of initiating this process and how it developed afterwards. From beginning to end, it was driven by narrow political interests. They could not find a country less democratic than Georgia within the OSCE framework,” Kobakhidze said.

He added that Georgia is among the leading countries within the OSCE in terms of democratic development, while accusing European institutions of applying double standards.

“These double standards are very obvious and shameful. All of this once again demonstrates the very difficult processes unfolding within the European bureaucracy,” Kobakhidze said.