A new political conflict erupted in Georgia after the OSCE released its long-awaited report under the Moscow Mechanism, which stated that the country had seen a decline in democratic standards during the reviewed period.

The report, which was made public Thursday evening, examines developments in Georgia since the spring of 2024, The Caspian Post reports, citing foreign media.

The main finding, according to Interpressnews, is that democratic regression took place during the period covered by the mandate.

24 of the OSCE’s member countries, or slightly short of half, issued a joint statement the same day, backing the report’s conclusions and calling on the Georgian government to fully implement its recommendations. The same statement urged the authorities to stay engaged and use the rapporteur’s findings as a basis for constructive dialogue and reform.

The Georgian government and its supporters pushed back against the report, with ruling party lawmaker Tengiz Sharmanashvili stating Friday that it was based “absolutely on lies” and had little value for the authorities, while also saying he welcomed any move to international courts. Later the same day, the pro-government group Neutral Georgia went further, calling the report entirely false and arguing that Georgia should leave international treaties or organizations that, in its view, had turned into tools of blackmail.

The report is the latest step in a process that began on January 29, when a group of OSCE participating states triggered the Moscow Mechanism in relation to Georgia. OSCE later said 23 states had joined the move to assess Georgia’s compliance with OSCE commitments, with special focus on events since the fall of 2024. An OSCE/ODIHR statement said the expert mission began its work on February 11.

In the weeks after that, the appointed rapporteurs met a range of Georgian actors. Public Defender Levan Ioseliani said he was ready to share information already set out in his reports, and later met the rapporteur. Opposition representatives also held meetings with the OSCE-appointed experts.

While the OSCE is often seen as the broadest and most inclusive organization handling European security concerns, the Moscow Mechanism initiative did not succeed in staying above the fray in Georgia’s contested politics. While the government perceived the move as an attempt by some foreign states to use the international body as a lever for pressure, opposition forces, on their part, saw the OSCE as vindicating their claims of worsening democratic rights.