State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality meets with UN Representative to Geneva International Discussions

By Khatia Bzhalava

Tuesday, March 9

Caption1: The State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Tea Akhvlediani (in the middle on the left) and the UN Representative to Geneva International Discussions, Cihan Sultanoglu (on the right).

The State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality particularly stressed the facts of illegal detention of Georgian citizens near the occupation line and emphasized the need for the active involvement of the international community.

The State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Tea Akhvlediani met with the UN Representative to Geneva International Discussions, Cihan Sultanoglu. According to the official information released by the ministry, during the meeting, the sides underlined the EU’s involvement in the conflict resolution process, including the role of the United Nations in Geneva International Discussions and the importance of UN’s humanitarian activities in the occupied Abkhaz region.

The ministry’s statement reads that during the meeting, the security, human rights, and humanitarian situation in the occupied regions of Georgia, which was further aggravated due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was thoroughly reviewed. The State Minister particularly stressed the facts of illegal detention of Georgian citizens near the occupation line and emphasized the need for the active involvement of the international community, primarily the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions. She believes that posing pressure on the Russian government should continue to ensure an unconditional and immediate release of all the illegally detained persons.

The importance of the Geneva International Discussion and the need to make progress on the issues on the agenda were also emphasized. As the statement reads, the sides underscored the importance of restoring Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism format (IPRM) in Gali and ensuring the unhindered conduction of the same mechanism in Ergneti, in terms of maintaining stability and security on the ground.

The State Minister briefed the UN representative on the results of the Reconciliation and Involvement Policy of the ministry, including the implementation and future perspectives of the peace initiative - A Step To A Better Future.

The involvement of women in the peaceful reconciliation process was pointed out at the meeting as well. In this regard, the UN representative welcomed Georgia’s efforts to act in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution on women, peace, and security.