Alain Berset: I am not here to legitimize the elections - these are critical times for Georgia, Georgia is full of political tension - it would have been irresponsible of me not to be here and not to stand by the people

I am not here to legitimize the elections - these are critical times for Georgia, Georgia is full of political tension, polarized public debate, high level of violence, - the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, said at the press conference.

According to Berset, one of the main conditions of his visit was to meet everyone, because the cornerstone of any functional democracy is dialogue.

“These are critical times for Georgia. Georgia is full of political tension, polarized public debate, high level of violence. I am here first and foremost to express my support to Georgia and its people. They deserve to live in a stable and democratic country. Georgia has been a full and very valuable member of the Council of Europe for 25 years. I am not here to legitimize the elections - that is for other competent institutions to do, and conclusions will be written regarding the observation of the elections.

Given what is happening in Georgia, it would have been irresponsible of me not to be here and not to stand by the people. The main objective of my visit is that the current political crisis can only be resolved if we uphold the fundamental principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. I would like to thank everyone I met during this week. I had a sincere, open, constructive discussion with everyone who agreed to meet me - civil society organizations, the Public Defender's Office, the government, the opposition, representatives of the international community in Tbilisi. One of the main conditions of my visit was to meet everyone. Dialogue is the cornerstone of any functional democracy,” said Alain Berset.