COPENHAGEN, 15 November 2019 - OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella received this morning in the premises of the Assembly's International Secretariat in Copenhagen a visit of the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality of Georgia, Ketevan Tsikhelashvili. Both the Secretary General and the Minister had taken part in a high-level Conference organized by the OSCE Office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities in Lund the previous day.

Minister Tsikhelashvili and Secretary General Montella at the OSCE PA International Secretariat, 15 November 2019Minister Tsikhelashvili briefed the Secretary General on the current political situation in Georgia, including the ongoing debate on electoral system reform and next year's parliamentary elections. Other topics discussed concerned the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia  as well as regional developments in the South Caucasus and Georgian priorities in the OSCE.

In particular, the Minister informed the Secretary General about the continued detention of Georgian medical doctor Vazha Gaprindashvili who reportedly had crossed the administrative boundary line (ABL) in the village of Orchosani together with three other persons in order to treat a patient. Montella expressed hope for a  speedy resolution of the issue urging to make full use of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) and of the Geneva International Discussions as mechanisms to prevent incidents and seek solutions.