Georgian Vice Prime Minister/Minister of Foreign Affairs, Davit Zalkaliani participated in the high-level ministerial meeting devoted to adoption of Declaration Against the Use of Arbitrary Detention in State-to State Relations.

The meeting held online was attended by the foreign ministers of over 30 countries, including the foreign ministers of Canada (organizer), EU member- and non-member states and the U.S. Secretary of State.

Speaking before the participants of the ministerial meeting, Zalkaliani focused his attention on the illegal detention of ethnic Georgians in the occupied territories of Georgia by representatives of the Russian occupation regime in their attempt to increase political pressure on Georgia. Special accent, in this light, was put on the prolongation of illegal detention of Georgian citizen Zaza Gakheladze for more than 12 years, as well as on the immediate release of all illegally detained citizens of Georgia.

According to Zalkaliani, Russia, as a force exercising effective control over Georgia’s occupied territories is fully responsible for the illegal detentions, including on ethnic lines, and for the flagrant violations of human rights on the ground. The Mnister added that the judgement delivered by the European Court of Human Rights on 21 January provides a further proof of the foregoing.

The Georgian Vice Prime Minister expressed the hope that the Declaration Against the Use of Arbitrary Detention in State-to State Relations will be yet another effective step to tackle the aforesaid challenge.