The 133rd ministerial meeting of the Council of Europe was held in Strasbourg on May 16-17, in which the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Lasha Darsalia, participated.

According to the information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it should be noted that this year's ministerial is solemn and dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the organization.

The permanent representative of Georgia in the Council of Europe, Ambassador Tamar Taliashvili, also participated in the ministerial meeting.

"Liechtenstein's chairmanship presented the jubilee declaration, in which, among other important issues of the organization's agenda, the member states once again supported the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within the internationally recognized borders. The declaration calls on Russia to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Georgia.

In his speech, Lasha Darsalia focused on the difficult situation created by Russia in the occupied territories of Georgia and thanked the member states of the Council of Europe for their unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia. He once again emphasized Georgia's commitment to the organization's fundamental values - democracy, rule of law and human rights.

The ministerial adopted a package of decisions in which it welcomed the May 7, 2024 decision of the Committee of Ministerial Deputies of the Council of Europe "Council of Europe and the conflict in Georgia" and took into account the 29th consolidated report of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the conflict in Georgia. In the context of EU enlargement, Georgia's candidate status was mentioned and the importance of the Council of Europe in the European integration process was emphasized.

At the ministerial, significant attention was paid to the challenges facing the Council of Europe and the importance of finding effective ways to respond to them. The work carried out to achieve the goals set by the Reykjavik Summit of the Council of Europe in 2023, especially in response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, was positively evaluated. The importance of the ongoing work in the Council of Europe on the establishment of the Ukrainian damage register and the creation of a special tribunal for the accountability of Ukraine was noted.

The chairmanship of the Council of Europe, for the next 6 months, was ceremonially handed over from Liechtenstein to Lithuania.

Within the framework of the ministerial session, the first deputy minister held bilateral meetings with the representatives of member states and institutions of the Council of Europe", the information says.