Georgia’s Conservative Party co-leader, Kakha Kukava, recently met with Kazakhstan OSCE Chairman Kanat Saudabayev in order to discuss Georgia’s May 30 elections. Kukava says that Kazakhstan’s participation in Georgia’s election process holds a significant importance for the country’s current conflict situation with its government. Kukava also revealed that Saudabayev agreed to send OSCE representatives to observe Georgia’s election process in answer to Georgia’s request for assistance.
Aside from Kakha Kukava, the OSCE chairperson-in-office also met up with Georgia’s foreign minister, Grigol Vashadze, and chairman of parliament, Davit Bakradze. Georgia’s chairman of parliament says that his country is open to the idea of restoring the participation of international observers’ mission on specified areas of territory.
Originally, the resumption of the OSCE mission in Georgia was proposed by Greece. However, despite Kazakhstan and Georgia’s approval, the resumption of this OSCE mission still bears some inconvenient compromises for the Russian government, causing Russian authorities to vote against it. Russia’s disapproval of having a foreign observance mission in occupied territories poses a new responsibility for Kazakhstan. As the country holds chairmanship of the OSCE for this year, they are obliged to convince Russia to adjust to some compromises and eventually earn its approval. In fact, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly president, Joao Soares, met with the Parliament’s Deputy Chairman Gigi Tsereteli and Vice Premier Giorgi Baramidze in order to discuss important aspects of Russian-Georgian relations.
The OSCE chairman met up with the Georgian representatives at the Hotel Tbilisi Marriot on February 17, 2010. Aside from meeting Georgia’s Democratic Movement leader, the Alliance for Georgia representative and the Conservative party representative, Kanat Saudabayev also met up with several other Georgian authorities. The meeting was also attended by Georgia’s National Democratic Party representative, Guram Chakvadze, Labor Party international secretary Nestan Kirtadze, as well as the New Rights representative, Manana Nachkebia.
