Tea Akhvlediani, State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality, has held a meeting with Joanna Barton, the incoming Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegation in Georgia, and Agnès Coutou, the ICRC’s Envoy on Missing Persons.

According to the State Minister’s office, Akhvlediani drew particular attention to the humanitarian importance of the ongoing search process for persons missing as a result of the armed conflicts of the 1990s and the August 2008 Russo-Georgian War, as well as the need to ensure its long-term sustainability.

“The meeting reviewed the results of close cooperation to date, including current matters relating to the programme transformation process underway based on the findings and recommendations of the ICRC’s strategic review.

The parties agreed to continue their work and to identify the most effective means of cooperation, with a view to the successful further implementation of the missing persons programme; concrete steps forward were planned in line with agreed priority directions.

At the close of the meeting, the State Minister expressed her gratitude to Agnès Coutou, in her capacity as ICRC Envoy, for her significant contribution both to the missing persons search programme and to the ongoing programme transformation process initiated by the ICRC,” the State Minister’s office stated.