The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's planned visit to Georgia is a spineless and unprincipled decision, stated European Parliament member Rihards Kols in response to the upcoming visit of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma to Georgia from January 8-10.

"Although I’m no longer part of OSCE, it has come to my attention that OSCE PA President Pia Kauma is planning a delegation visit to Georgia on January 8-10—a disastrous and ill-timed move.

This visit coincides with Ivanishvili’s regime consolidating power through Russian-style preventive arrests, draconian laws, violent suppression of protests, and in the aftermath of elections that, while generally free, failed the two other principles of legitimate elections—they were neither fair nor transparent. Many delegations are outraged, and rightfully so. Such a visit would hand the regime a propaganda victory, legitimizing an autocracy-in-the-making while critically undermining OSCE’s credibility.

If Pia Kauma feels so strongly about this visit, she should undertake it in a private capacity and not as a representative of one of the oldest and most prominent institutions of international democratic cooperation—funded by taxpayers who would overwhelmingly oppose such spineless and unprincipled moves. Weak leadership creates bad times. Let’s hope Pia Kauma knows better," Kols wrote.