( CoE )The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Mr Jan Kubis, as Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, welcomed the information that, according to the International Observation Mission involving the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the European Parliament, the Presidential elections held in Georgia on 5 January took place in a genuinely competitive environment and were in essence consistent with most international standards for democratic elections, even though they were marked by a strong polarisation of the electoral atmosphere and significant problems and challenges were revealed which need to be addressed urgently.
Minister J. Kubis calls on all political forces in Georgia to settle these outstanding issues through dialogue, including between the President and opposition forces, in order to further the course of democracy in Georgia. The Council of Europe is available to provide further assistance in this context.