( mfa.gov.lv ) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia congratulates Georgia on the extraordinary presidential elections of 5 January 2008, which had been transparent and on the whole had proceeded in accordance with international standards. Following the conclusions by the OSCE election observation mission, freedom of choice for the electors had been ensured during the election process. Transparency of the election process was ensured by the presence of a large number of international observers. In this respect, Latvia commends Georgia's wish not to follow the precedent established by some of the OSCE member states which restricted the participation of international representatives in the observation of elections.
Within the OSCE observation mission, Latvia was represented by 16 observers and experts from the Central Election Commission of Latvia.
The Foreign Ministry calls on Georgia to continue the initiated reforms and its progress towards the strengthening of democracy. So far, Latvia had developed an active co-operation with Georgia, including the provision of support to the development of democratic processes. This goal will also remain to be one of Latvia's priorities in its future relations with Georgia.
The Foreign Ministry calls on Georgian people to respect the election results and emphasizes that these elections hold a significant importance for Georgia's course towards Euroatlantic integration.