On 13 February, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Grigori Karasin stated that a Russian delegation will attend the Council of Europe (CoE) ministerial in Tbilisi in May 2020, which Georgia will be  hosting as the CoE chair, reported agenda ge. Karasin added that at the moment he did not know what the composition of the Russian delegation would be at the ministerial. 

The Georgian opposition strongly opposes Russia’s participation in the ministerial, stating that a Russian delegation is very likely to involve individuals who have violated the Georgian Law on the Occupied Territories by visiting the Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali without consent from officials in Tbilisi and that the arrival of the Russian delegation may spark a new wave of rallies in Tbilisi, similar to those from June 2019 (Caucasus Watch reported). 

On 29 January, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili stated that her country would be ready to host the Russian delegation, including the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Ministerial in Tbilisi (Caucasus Watch reported). Zourabichvili clarified that while Georgia does not approve the affirmed policy of the Russian authorities, it has considered its own international obligations. Several Georgian NGOs and opposition parties criticised Zourabichvili’s statement.