The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs fined Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen about 1,500 euros (5000 Georgian lari-GEL) for participating in a rally organised by opposition party, reported Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) on Thursday.
The Georgian authority held Valtonen, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, responsible for blocking a road on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi in front of the Georgian Parliament building on October 14, said the report, referring to sources at the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It also said that the Finnish Foreign Minister posted a video message from Rustaveli Avenue on social media.
“Peaceful protestors have gathered in front of the Parliament Building in Tbilisi, Georgia, to voice their concern over the repressive direction of their country. They have every right to democracy, to freedom of expression and basic human rights. We are here to support them,” Valtonen wrote in a post on her social media platform X on October 14.
Valtonen in another post on Thursday also invited Georgian Prime Minister Kobakhidze to Finland.
“Come to Finland, meet the free press and observe any demonstration of your liking,” she wrote in the post.
The Georgian authority also expressed concern over Valtonen’s visit, issuing a protest note to the OSCE Secretariat and participating states, said the GPB report.
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Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
