Tbilisi: Georgian Minister of State for Reconciliation and Civil Equality, Tea Akhvlediani held a meeting with Anie Kotu, the Special Representative of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC).
At the meeting, the Minister of State Tea Akhvlediani focused on the armed actions of the 1990s and the special burden of the process of searching for people missing as a result of the Russian-Georgian war in August 2008, its continuation and effectiveness.
The parties reviewed the results of intensive cooperation, including the transformation process of the program to determine the fate of the missing, largely aimed at increasing the role of relevant state agencies involved in the program.
Special attention was paid to the activities carried out within the thematic working groups formed by the coordination of the State Minister’s Office and the active involvement of relevant state agencies on current issues of the program and the activities to be transmitted in stages. The meeting expressed the readiness to continue working together to improve the effectiveness of the program.
The Minister of State stressed the importance of the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Georgia and thanked the ICRC representative for their cooperation and humanitarian efforts made by the organization in Georgia.
“At the meeting with the representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, we discussed the recommendations developed on the ICRC initiative, the transformation of the Missing Person Search Program is known to be linked to the gradual growth of the role of state agencies involved in the implementation of the program.”
At the same time, we discussed the 2023 Activity Plan, which also aims to ensure the sustainability of the program in the following years and establish a long-term vision, just to enable more missing persons to be found.
Also, the role of involvement of families of lost people in the process of implementing the program was discussed and the importance of continuing more active communication with them.
“In which direction the State Minister’s apparatus will continue to make more intensive efforts from 2023 by active cooperation with all relevant participants of the ICRC and family support process,” said Minister Tea Akhvlediani.
Deputy Minister of State, Shota Rekhviashvili and Regional Coordinator Karina Svenfelt on working with people lost in Georgia and their families were attended by the Deputy Minister of State.
