Orban’s Georgia visit wasn’t EU-related, a spokesperson said

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On Monday, the EU announced that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, currently holding the EU Council presidency, will not represent the bloc during his upcoming trip to Georgia. This visit comes amid controversy over Georgia’s recent parliamentary elections, which have faced scrutiny from international observers and sparked calls for investigation.

EU Commission spokesperson Nabila Massrali emphasized that Orban’s visit is solely a matter of “bilateral relations between Hungary and Georgia” and that he has no mandate from the EU Council to represent the EU there. During his time in Tbilisi, Orban is set to meet Irakli Kobakhidze, leader of the ruling Georgian Dream Party.

The EU continues to express concern about the integrity of the Georgian elections. A joint statement from EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and the EU Council highlighted that the situation in Georgia is being closely monitored. Preliminary findings from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) indicated a “tense environment” during the elections, including reports of voter intimidation, ballot secrecy violations, and procedural inconsistencies, which have raised doubts about the legitimacy of the results.

Borrell and the EU Council have called on Georgian election officials to conduct a “swift, transparent, and independent” investigation to address these irregularities and restore confidence in the electoral process. Additionally, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili has accused Russian operatives of foreign interference in the elections and has expressed her refusal to accept the results.

The ruling Georgian Dream Party secured 53.93% of the vote in the elections held on Saturday. Orban’s visit follows previous diplomatic trips to Moscow and Beijing after he assumed the EU presidency on July 1, both of which attracted criticism from Brussels and intensified tensions between the EU leadership and Hungary.
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