OSCE committed to democratic development in Georgia, says Chairman-in-Office

TBILISI, 25 January 2004 -The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy, congratulated Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on his inauguration on Sunday and pledged continued OSCE support for democratic development in the country.

Visiting Tbilisi for the inauguration of the new president, the Chairman-in-Office had meetings with President Saakashvili, former Acting President Nino Burjanadze and State Minister Zurab Zhvania.

"The OSCE is already in discussions with the Georgian authorities on how we can help with some of the key challenges that lie ahead," Minister Passy said. "These include parliamentary reform and constitutional reform, strengthening law enforcement and fighting corruption."

He congratulated Georgia's authorities and political leaders on the presidential elections, which had brought Georgia closer to meeting international democratic standards, but noted that these were just a first step.

The March 28 parliamentary elections would represent a stronger challenge to the electoral system. "There needs to be a significant improvement in a number of procedural aspects to ensure that the elections will be perceived as credible and democratic, "Minister Passy said.

He said he was proud of the rapid assistance which the OSCE had provided for the parliamentary elections through its Georgian Election Assistance Programme.

"I would like to express our readiness to support the Government of Georgia in its efforts to promote democratic values, build democratic institutions, encourage economic and social development and uproot corruption at all levels," the Chairman-in-Office said.

In his discussions with Georgian leaders on the unresolved conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Minister Passy stressed the importance of maintaining Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

"We regard the preservation of the territorial integrity and national unity of Georgia as an important prerequisite for the democratization of the country and stability in the South Caucasus as a whole," he added.

The Chairman-in-Office urged all parties involved to seize the opportunity created by the change of government to resume dialogue on the problems in South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Ajaria and to avoid inflammatory political rhetoric.

During his visit to Tbilisi, the Chairman-in-Office also met the Armenian Foreign Minister, Vartan Oskanian, to discuss prospects for a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh "frozen" conflict.