OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Visits Georgia, Reaffirms ‘Strong Support’

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Miroslav Lajčák of Slovakia, the country that recently assumed the office of OSCE Chairmanship, is visiting Georgia in his capacity of Chairperson-in-Office on February 10-11. During the trip he met with Georgian officials, starting his visit symbolically at the occupation line.

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office went to village Odzisi adjacent to Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, where as the European Union Monitoring Missions (EUMM) reported, Minister Lajčák “received a briefing by EUMM monitors focusing on borderization in the area and challenges to freedom of movement.”

“As my first stop during my visit to Georgia, I went to the administrative boundary line to see for myself the situation on the ground,” Lajčák wrote on his Twitter page.

Official meetings

Meeting with his Georgian counterpart Davit Zalkaliani on February 11, Lajčák reaffirmed “OSCE’s strong support to Georgia in addressing its internal and external challenges.”

On his part, Minister Zalkaliani hailed “close and friendly cooperation” between the two countries, and underscored that Lajčák’s visit to Georgia in the beginning of the Slovak chairmanship, confirms that Georgia is among the priorities on the OSCE agenda.

Assuming the OSCE Chairmanship in 2019, Slovakia promises, among others, to focus its attention on conflict resolution efforts in Georgia.

In Georgia, the Slovak Minister also met Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, and State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili.

He also spoke with the OSCE PA President, MP from opposition European Georgia Giorgi Tsereteli, discussing human rights and security situation in occupied regions.

Lajčák will also meet President Salome Zurabishvili later on today.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)