Georgia Fines Finnish Foreign Minister for Joining Protest, Files Complaint to OSCE
By Liza Mchedlidze
Friday, October 17, 2025
Georgia's Interior Ministry has fined Finnish Foreign Minister and current OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Elina Valtonen 5,000 lari for taking part in a protest on Tbilisi's Rustaveli Avenue. The Georgian Foreign Ministry has also sent a diplomatic note to the OSCE Secretariat and member states over the incident and Valtonen's remarks at the rally.
Valtonen was fined for "blocking the road" during the October 14 demonstration. The Finnish minister, who was visiting Georgia as OSCE Chair, appeared at the long-running anti-government and pro-EU protest near Parliament and expressed support for participants who have been obstructing traffic nightly for more than 320 days.
"The people are concerned about the direction that this country has been taking, taking away the basic liberties of people, starting with the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly," Valtonen said in a video recorded from the site. "Needless to say, these people deserve all of these rights, and we are here to support them."
Following her appearance, Georgia's Foreign Ministry issued a protest note accusing Valtonen of overstepping her mandate and interfering in the country's internal affairs. It said she had gone "beyond her official program" by joining "a street rally organized by a small group of anti-government activists who were freely but illegally blocking Tbilisi's main avenue."
According to the note, Valtonen's public statement "does not reflect reality" and was "a deliberate attempt to mislead the international community about the situation in Georgia." The ministry added that her actions "contradict the spirit of cooperation within the OSCE and may be considered an abuse of the Chairperson's mandate, undermining trust and the expected neutrality."
The protest note also said her conduct was "incompatible with the universally recognized principles of international law, including respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs," referencing the Helsinki Final Act, UN Resolution A/RES/20/213, OSCE procedures, and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
During her stay in Georgia, Valtonen met with Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, civil society representatives, and visited the occupation line. A planned meeting with Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, however, did not take place. Government officials claimed it was canceled because Valtonen joined an "illegal rally" and made "false statements," while Valtonen later told reporters that the Finnish side canceled first due to a "schedule change."
Before news of the fine and the protest note was made public, Valtonen addressed Kobakhidze on X, inviting him to Finland to attend "any demonstration" he wished to observe.
