At the Administration of the Government of Georgia, the Chairman of the State Agency for Religious Issues, Zaza Vashakmadze, met with the Senior Advisor to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Vladimir Shkolnikov.

The Chairman of the Agency began the meeting with a brief overview of Georgia’s religious policy. Zaza Vashakmadze introduced the guest to the religious denominations existing in Georgia and the projects implemented by the Agency. Zaza Vashakmadze spoke about the practice of distributing funds allocated by the State to compensate for material and moral damage caused during the Soviet period and, in general, about the assistance provided by the State to religious organizations for various needs, and also touched upon the activities of the Interreligious Council.

The Chairman of the Agency traditionally focused on the facts of violations of the religious rights of the Georgian population living in the occupied territories of Georgia and noted that the Georgian ethnic, religious and cultural traces are being systematically erased in the occupied territories.

Mr. Vladimir Shkolnikov thanked the Chairman of the Agency for his reception and expressed his desire for fruitful cooperation with the Agency. At the end of the meeting, the guest was presented with the publications of the Agency.