The Prime Minister of Georgia held a meeting with Helga Maria Schmid, Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The meeting discussed issues pertaining to Georgia-OSCE cooperation, with emphasis on the OSCE"s engagement in the process of peaceful regulation of the conflict in Georgia and confidence-building. Irakli Garibashvili thanked the OSCE Secretary General for her effort to that end.

The parties pointed out the role of co-chairmanship in the Geneva International Discussions and in the format of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism. The Prime Minister underscored that the immediate and unconditional release of Zaza Gakheladze and other illegally detained Georgian citizens must be raised on every level, including in the format of the IPRM.

Despite the present security and humanitarian challenges, the Government of Georgia remains committed to peaceful conflict-resolution and the country"s democratic development, the parties emphasized.

The meeting underlined that the Georgian side appreciates the engagement of ODIHR in election observation. The parties expressed readiness for the country to host a maximal number of ODIHR observers during the upcoming local self-government elections.

The meeting also paid attention to the active role of the Government Administration’s Human Rights Secretariat in OSCE-organized human rights and gender equality activities.

The OSCE Secretary General commended Georgia’s mediation in Caucasus affairs and Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili"s involvement in this direction.