Nikoloz Samkharadze, Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Head of the Parliamentary Delegation to the OSCE PA, participates in the OSCE PA annual session.

He thanked the OSCE PA incumbent President, Pia Kauma, for her leadership and efforts to conduct the constructive dialogue against the background of pressing conditions, and wished her the best of luck.

In his address, N. Samkharadze highlighted that the organization has faced a profound existential crisis due to its failure to prevent Russian aggression in Georgia and Ukraine and its failure to regulate other conflicts.

“The subject of our debates is the OSCE fifty years after Helsinki. Regrettably, I must acknowledge that the OSCE is currently grappling with a profound existential crisis. The security architecture that the OSCE has endeavoured to establish for its member states has already been undermined. The sovereign territories of my nation have been occupied by Russia for seventeen years now, and the international community appears to lack the requisite strength to alter the prevailing status quo”, -  he asserted.

He underlined the attempts of some members of the Assembly to silence and exclude the delegation members who do not share their positions.

“Many of you are not aware that several members of the Assembly have recently submitted a letter to the Prime Minister of Portugal expressing their opposition to the admission of Georgian Delegation members into the country. This action is highly disreputable and stands in stark contrast to the principles of the OSCE and parliamentaryism in general”.

N. Samkharadze criticized the amendments about Georgia introduced to the OSCE PA annual report. According to him, the debates at the Committees revealed that the accusations towards Georgia are groundless and disregard the facts.

“If the context of the reports of the observation missions is being distorted today, the lies are disseminated, and the assailants armed with fireworks and “Molotov” cocktails are labelled as peaceful citizens, tomorrow, we may be regarded as elephants according to the same logic, and if the majority endorses this absurdity, it may even be introduced into the resolution”, -  he observed.

“I am confident that truth will always triumph over lies, and facts will always prevail over perceptions. Therefore, I hope that when we assemble again next year, we will be able to focus on more positive topics”, -  he stated.