"We demand the immediate and unconditional release of the illegal detainees," Tea Akhvlediani, State Minister for Reconciliation and Equality, told reporters in response to a question about Zaza Gakheladze's illegal detention.
Asked whether it is possible to talk about the exchange of prisoners, as his family members point out, the minister said that they do not talk about such topics with the occupation regime.
"Firstly, I do not have information about this, secondly - we do not talk about similar topics with the occupation regime. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of our illegal prisoners," Akhvlediani said.
According to her, the Georgian government, together with international partners, is making every effort to release Zaza Gakheladze and other illegally detained citizens.
"Due to the ongoing occupation in Georgia and its dire consequences, there are very gross violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms both in the occupied regions and in the vicinity of the occupation line, and one of the manifestations is the illegal detentions of our citizens. We are working intensively and using all available local or international tools for their immediate and unconditional release. The release of Zaza Gakheladze was the main topic of the meeting on the incident prevention and response mechanism at the end of March, as well as the Geneva international talks. The arrests are a really difficult issue and we will continue our maximum efforts, "Akhvlediani said.