Dispatch of Japanese Election Observers for the Presidential Election in Georgia

December 25, 2003

1. The Government of Japan will dispatch a staff member of the Japanese Embassy in Poland, a staff member of the Japanese Embassy in Azerbaijan and an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the purpose of monitoring the presidential election in Georgia scheduled to be held on January 4, 2004.
2. This election will be conducted for the purpose of electing a new president due to the resignation of President Eduard Amvrosievich Shevardnadze after the political change in Georgia that took place on November 23. This election recognized as an important process for advancing the democratization and economic stability of Georgia.
3. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will play central role in monitoring this election. Major countries including the United States and the European Union (EU) are expected to dispatch their election observers to monitor the election through OSCE (estimated approximately 500 personnel in total), and Japan has decided to join this process. The Government of Japan anticipates for the election of the new president of Georgia to be carried out in a free and fair manner and has announced in the Press Secretary's Statement (dated November 25) that it is ready to study what cooperation it can extend for that purpose. With the decision to dispatch Japanese election observers to Georgia, it has given concrete shape to the aforementioned announcement.