Georgia joined the OSCE in 1992 shortly after gaining its independence from the Soviet Union. The current President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, George Tsereteli, is a Georgian Member of Parliament. Tbilisi also hosted the 2016 Annual Session of the OSCE PA.
Tbilisi hosted an OSCE field office from November 1992 until 2008 when Russia’s unilateral invasion and occupation of Georgia helped scuttle the renewal of the office’s mandate. Russia refused to approve any mandate for a Tbilisi-based office that affirmed Georgian sovereignty over the Russian-occupied regions of South Ossetia/Tskhinvali and Abkhazia/Sukhumi. According to the OSCE, the office had “assisted the Georgian Government with conflict settlement, democratization, human rights and the rule of law issues.”
The OSCE—along with the United Nations and European Union—co-chairs the Geneva International Discussions, begun in October 2008 to facilitate international talks concerning the ongoing Russian occupation of Georgia. The United States participates in the talks alongside Georgia, Russia, and representatives from the de facto authorities of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
In legislation, hearings, briefings, statements, and international travel, the Helsinki Commission has consistently condemned Russia’s 2008 invasion and ongoing occupation of Georgian territory and demanded the full restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity.
Georgia has been a member of the Council of Europe since 1999 and is party to an association agreement with the European Union as part of the EU’s Eastern Partnership. In Bucharest in 2008, NATO allies agreed that Georgia and Ukraine would become NATO members in the future.
Staff Contact: Michael Cecire, senior policy advisor
