The State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality met with representatives of the Council of Europe and provided them with the information for the 18th consolidated report of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the situation in Georgia's occupied territories.

Deputy Director of the Political Affairs Department of the Council of Europe, Daniel Khoshabo, the Advisor to the Political Affairs Department of the Council of Europe Marcel Kappi and the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia Cristian Urse received from Ketevan Tsikhelashvili detailed information about the situation on the occupied territories, incidents that happened for the last six months.

During the meeting the facts of gross violation of human rights in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region were discussed. The discriminatory environment in which people live in Gali and Akhalgori was noted. The State Minister provided them updated information on the restriction of ownership and the right to education on native language, the difficulties associated with free movement of citizens along the dividing lines, illegal detentions and other humanitarian challenges.

Ketevan Tsikhelashvili also talked about the Georgian Government's peacekeeping approaches, the main directions of reconciliation and engagement policy and the future plans in this regard. She focusing on the Government's new peace initiative "A Step to a Better Future", which envisages economic strengthening of the population living in the occupied territories and facilitating access to various services to them.

She also thanked the Council of Europe for its efforts and noted that consolidated reports of the Secretary General are very important because they reflect the situation on the occupied territories.