“I am in Tbilisi, in front of the Parliament building. There is a peaceful demonstration gathering here,” the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Finnish Foreign Minister, Elina Valtonen, said in a video message posted on social media.

According to her, she came to show support for those gathered at the rally.

“Many people are coming, waving the flags of the European Union, NATO, and, apparently, also the Finnish flag—but most importantly, the Georgian flag. The reason is that these people are concerned about the direction this country has been taking, taking away the basic liberties of people, starting with the freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Needless to say, these people deserve all these rights, and we are here to support them,” Valtonen stated.

The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office joined the rally near the legislative building and spoke with the protesters.

As part of her visit to Georgia, Valtonen also visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she met with Maka Botchorishvili. Following their meeting, she participated in a joint press conference with the Georgian Foreign Minister, answering questions from the media.

Elina Valtonen arrived in Georgia from Armenia and is scheduled to continue her regional visit to Azerbaijan.