Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili said her main focus during her address at the Council of Europe (CoE) ministerial meeting was on the ongoing situation in Georgia, particularly Russia’s occupation of Georgian regions and human rights violations in those areas.

Speaking after the Luxembourg meeting, Botchorishvili noted that this format provided “an excellent opportunity to discuss the challenges facing our country, important issues, and developments across the Council of Europe region.”

“We emphasized the importance of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in this context, as well as the necessity to employ international mechanisms when discussing a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Georgia conflict.

We also utilised this format to discuss internal developments in Georgia, the problems of democracy in Europe, and the double standards that are frequently employed to analyse current events in Georgia.

When it comes to reforms, justice, and human rights protection, Georgia has achieved genuinely exceptional progress over the last decade, according to every studies, ratings, and data. This is evidenced by all available data, including decisions of international courts. Of course, this should not remain unnoticed and the ongoing processes in the country should not be assessed solely with false narratives,” the FM asserted.

The Minister added that all countries act according to their own interests, and “Georgia is no exception.”

“We will stand guard over our country’s interests and defend our national interests. Unfortunately, when we talk about Georgia’s national interests and sovereign rights, various actors frequently circulate opinions against our country and apply double standards in evaluating different events,” Botchorishvili stated.