On 2-3 July 2010, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia will be hosting the leadership of the Council of Europe. During the official visit Council of Europe Secretary General, HE Thorbjorn Jagland and the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, HE Antonio Miloshoski will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, HE Grigol Vashadze, State Minister on the Reintegration Issues, HE Temur Yakobashvili and the Minister of Refugees and Accommodation, HE Koba Subeliani. The meetings of the Foreign Minister Miloshoski and Secretary General Jagland with the President of Georgia and the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia are also envisaged by the programme of the visit.

These meetings will focus on the alleviation of the consequences of the August 2008 military invasion of Russia and the ongoing occupation of the parts of the Georgian territory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia notes with satisfaction the willingness of the Council of Europe to actively engage in the implementation of the Action Plan of the Georgian Government's "State Strategy on the Occupied Territories: Engagement through Co-operation" and looks forward to discuss concrete activities of the Council of Europe. In this context, Ministry recalls that the first official presentation of the State Strategy in the multilateral fora by the Georgian side took place in Strasbourg on 3 February, 2010.

The Georgian authorities plan to share with the CoE leadership their position on the forward-looking approach of the Secretary General regarding the consequences of the war between the Russian Federation and Georgia. The Ministry expects that these consultations will shed more light on some outstanding issues related to the reporting system of the Secretary General.

Also, the issues related to the more active role of the Council of Europe in the protection of the human rights in the occupied territories of Georgia will be considered. The Georgian side acknowledges the interest and political responsibility that the Council of Europe bears in ensuring the protection of the human rights standards throughout Europe, including in the occupied regions of Georgia. The Georgian side will raise the issue of Council of Europe efficiently using the relevant mechanisms available to it to ensure that the human rights standards are implemented in Abkhazia, Georgia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia.