In a statement issued on March 23 the Georgian Foreign Ministry said that the Belarus presidential elections, which were held in “atmosphere of intimidation,” cannot be considered as democratic and free.

The statement also says that Tbilisi does not share assessment of the observer team from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), “which found the Presidential elections legitimate and corresponding to internationally recognized standards.”
 
“The fact, that Georgian observers, who were legally mandated by the OSCE, were not allowed to attend the event, and instead were unlawfully detained in the Minsk airport and expelled from the country, is also a proof that election process took place with serious violations,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.
 
The Georgian observers were not also included in the list of the CIS observation mission either.

“We hope that the peaceful protests by the opposition currently underway in Minsk will not be dispersed by the government with the use of force. We call on the Belarus authorities to release the arrested [opposition activists] and to launch a constructive dialogue with the opposition,” the statement reads.