The Interim Commission on Restoration of Territorial Integrity and De-Occupation and the Sector Economy and Economic Policy Committee convened the joint sitting to deliberate the essence and prospects of implementation of the package of laws adopted on the basis of the Government’s initiative – a Step to a Better Future.

Prior to the discussion, Giorgi Volski, Chair of the Commission, expressed his condolences over the death of Data Vanishvili, a resident who lived near the occupation line - "Data Vanishvili is a symbol not only of what is called occupation, but also a symbol of human strength, attitude towards his country and ethnic relations. I offer my condolences to his family as we have lost a kind, intelligent, patriotic man who deserved the Civil Commitment Medal”.

The State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation and Civic Equality, Tea Akhvlediani, briefed the participants on the implementation of the Government's peace initiative and focused on the deplorable consequences of the occupation, both politically and in terms of security, human rights and humanitarian issues.

According to the State Minister, the population living in the occupied regions, regardless of ethnicity, still suffers from gross and systematic violations of their fundamental rights – “They are deliberately deprived of the rights that are available to other groups of the population. Due to the long closure of crossing points, a humanitarian crisis has erupted. As you know, 5 Georgian citizens remain in illegal detention in Sokhumi and Tskhinvali, while the persons accused in the murder of Giga Otkhozoria, Archil Tatunashvili and David Basharuli remain unpunished. Despite the barbed wire and physical barriers, which stretch for about 100 km in our country, we will not tolerate the current situation”.

Tea Akhvlediani noted that the main cornerstone of the activities of the Office of the State Minister is the policy of reconciliation and involvement.

"Our task is to ensure that the people living in the occupied regions enjoy the same opportunities, programs and services that are available to the rest of Georgia before the conflict is fully resolved. Therefore, taking care of them and creating a better future perspective is one of the top priorities of our work. Our task, too, is to overcome alienation between the societies artificially divided by war and deepen relationships between people. In order to achieve the set goals, in cooperation with various government agencies and international partners, we take consistent and dynamic steps, plan and implement programs that cover virtually all areas of public life - health, education, agriculture, energy, environment and social development. Given the current occupation and restrictions on movement, as well as local policies, we have to be creative, find status-neutral ways and create unique tools to open up opportunities for the people of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. The peace initiative Step to a Better Future is the result of such an approach", - the State Minister stated.

According to her, in 2018, the Parliament adopted with three readings the accompanying legislative package of the initiative, which included three directions: 1. Encouraging trade along dividing lines; 2. Development of education opportunities for the population living in the occupied regions; 3. Facilitation of the access to various public services.

"In 2019, the essential legal process for the implementation of the initiative was completed, which involved bringing various bylaws in full compliance with the legislative changes adopted by Parliament. As a result, 8 legal acts were amended and 5 completely new acts were adopted, which concerned the introduction and enactment of the status-neutral instruments envisaged by the initiative. It should be noted that the legal process, carried out with the active work of the Parliament and various state agencies, creates a legal framework for the use of new opportunities in the field of trade and education. However, at the same time, it is no less important to create specific mechanisms and ensure their effective functioning in order to enjoy these benefits. That is why, from 2019 onwards, various financial and educational tools provided by the initiative have been created and launched”, - the State Minister elucidated.

Pursuant to her, despite the pandemic, the agency managed to launch a unique financial mechanism of the peace initiative - "This is a non-profit legal entity whose sole purpose is to serve the goals of the initiative and improve the socio-economic situation of people living on both sides of the occupied regions. In this way, the foundation promotes economic, interest-based cooperation between people. The foundation has already held its first grant competition and is currently funding 14 successful projects. These projects cover various areas of agriculture, as well as production and processing of products. As a result of our consultations with international donors, Germany and Switzerland have already expressed their willingness to contribute to the fund's activities, although there are a number of other donors who also intend to provide financial assistance. It is important that for the first time in 25 years we have created a unique opportunity for people living in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region to engage on both sides of the dividing line in economic relations, bring products to market in Georgia, and take advantage of Georgia's free trade mechanisms”.

As the State Minister added, within the framework of the peace initiative, there also emerge a unique tool in the field of education - the post-school education program, which for the first time provides an opportunity for young people living in the occupied regions, including Gali and Akhalgori, to pass higher national exams. The program provides both housing and scholarships.

T. Akhvlediani also noted that in order to facilitate access to public services, access of the population from the occupied territories to various civil acts has been facilitated and is carried out on a one-stop-shop basis.

According to the State Minister, the peace initiative is a confirmation of the commitment of the Georgian government to expand the dialogue with the Abkhaz and Ossetian communities, taking into account the interests and needs of the population.

"Our desire is to make the process of reconciliation and confidence building more intensive and to use all existing channels of communication more effectively, as well as to further diversify these channels and develop dialogue platforms aimed at improving the legal and humanitarian situation of the population, hence creating a better future for them”, - the State Minister added and dwelt on the referral service state program.

"The state program which is provided free of charge conveys a critical importance. Being non-stop even amid the pandemic, 900 patients were treated in 2020 solely. In addition, despite the pandemic, we have not stopped supplying the necessary medicines to Abkhazia. The amount spent on common components of healthcare exceeds 5 mln GEL in total. Against the background of the global pandemic, in 2020, health assistance to the population in the occupied regions became particularly important. There were four main directions:

1. Awareness raising (information campaigns, stopcov.ge, etc.);
2. Expertise - we facilitated several visits by WHO experts to study the situation in the Abkhaz region;
3. Delivery of medical supplies;
4. And most importantly - the transfer and treatment of infected patients (up to 400 COVID-infected patients have been treated in our controlled area), - T. Akhvlediani remarked.

According to her, the central government has repeatedly, through public or private channels, reaffirmed its commitment to provide similar assistance to the people of the Tskhinvali region.

In addition, T. Akhvlediani spoke about strengthening the involvement of women in the peace process and taking care of their legal and socio-economic situation.

The State Minister stressed that the response to Russia's destructive actions should be an even more effective policy. According to her, in this context, it is planned to intensify the activities of the State Commission for Involvement and revise the state strategy for involvement, as well as to effectively combat the propaganda and the spread of false information.

After the speech, T. Akhvlediani answered the questions of the participants regarding the strategy and action plan of the Office of the State Minister, the involvement of IDPs in the peace process, education and health programs, public diplomacy and culture, etc.

According to the Chairman of the Committee, David Songhulashvili, today's meeting once again clarified the importance of the issue - "Your report outlines the implemented and scheduled objectives. The most important thing in all of this is that the process has begun. The current format allows new issues to be raised in the form of additional proposals. Of course, it is very important for our citizens living in the occupied territories to have access to the opportunities enjoyed by our citizens living in the territories we control. We see that no effort will be spared for this, there is progress and you will have our full support in this direction”.

As the Chair of the Commission, Giorgi Volski noted, the Office of the State Minister is directly involved in resolving a number of issues, such as access to doing business, citizenship and others and the package of bills that were deliberated today was adopted in order to overcome the contradictions.

"I would like to extend my warmest greetings and respect to all who live in the occupied territories and assure them in our commitment to resolving the issue peacefully, with common involvement and enthusiasm”, -G. Volski stated.

According to him, the Commission will meet again to discuss other issues, but one of the main lines will be the development of economic and business relations.