Azernews.Az

Representatives of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), co-rapporteurs on Georgia, Michael Aastrup Jensen (Denmark) and Boris Tsilevich (Latvia) arrived in Georgia on Monday.

The purpose of the visit is to familiarise themselves with the situation in Georgia, including in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, and study the laws adopted by the Parliament of Georgia, the PACE representatives told reporters at Tbilisi airport.

"Things are changing in Georgia and we want to discuss these changes with representatives of both the majority and the opposition and become familiar with their assessments of what is happening," Jensen said.

First, a meeting between the co-rapporteurs on Georgia and NGO representatives will be held in the Tbilisi office of the Council of Europe.

In the afternoon they will meet with the Prime Minister of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili. Then the representatives of the Council of Europe will meet with Georgian State Minister for Reintegration Paata Zakareishvili.

On the second day of the visit, members of the PACE Monitoring Committee will visit the Samtskhe-Javakheti region where they will hold a meeting in Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki. In particular, they will meet with representatives of local NGOs in Akhaltsikhe.

On Wednesday, Jensen and Tsilevich will meet with Georgia's Special Envoy for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze, President of the Supreme Court Konstantin Kublashvili, the first deputy Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani, Georgian Ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili as well as with representatives of the Centre for Tolerance and Ethnic Minorities, operating under the Office of the Ombudsman. On the same day, the PACE representatives will meet with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, parliamentary representatives and members of the minority faction The non-party independent Majoritarians.

On Thursday, Jensen and Tsilevich will meet at the House of Justice with the chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Parliament Vakhtang Khmaladze, members of the organising committee for nationwide discussion of constitutional laws, the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Civil Integration Eka Beseliya and chairman of the Georgian Parliament David Usupashvili. A meeting with other members of the majority has also been scheduled.

On the same day, they will also meet with the Minister of Justice Thea Tsulukiani and Attorney General of Georgia Archil Kbilashvili.

The PACE co-rapporteurs will hold a press conference at the end of the day.

The rapporteurs visit will last until Friday.