The mentioned sectoral cooperation derives from the Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union and is an important part of the process of Georgia's integration into the European Union.

The implementation of the first bilateral project (EMCDDA4GE), which took place exclusively between Georgia and EMCDDA, was a positive continuation of the successful and intensive cooperation of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia with the European Agency. Among the third world countries, Georgia is the only state, which has experience of this kind of cooperation with the European Agency.

It should be noted that in order to strengthen sectoral cooperation with EU agencies and strengthen the process of Georgia's integration into the European Union, a working agreement was signed between the Ministry of Justice and the EMCDDA in September 2022, which aims to improve the existing drug policy and monitoring mechanisms in the country and inform decision-makers with evidence.

Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili opened the closing event of the project and thanked both the EU delegation to Georgia, the EMCDDA and the project team for the assistance and fruitful cooperation. Representatives of the thematic agencies and civil sector attended the event.

The implementation of a balanced drug policy based on the protection of human rights and research and analysis was and remains a priority of the Georgian government. The Ministry of Justice will continue active cooperation with the EMCDDA in this regard.

The cooperation between the Ministry of Justice of Georgia and the European Union Agency "European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction" (EMCDDA) actively continues in order to improve the evidence-based drug policy and strengthen monitoring of the drug situation.

The mentioned sectoral cooperation derives from the Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union and is an important part of the process of Georgia's integration into the European Union.

The implementation of the first bilateral project (EMCDDA4GE), which took place exclusively between Georgia and EMCDDA, was a positive continuation of the successful and intensive cooperation of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia with the European Agency. Among the third world countries, Georgia is the only state, which has experience of this kind of cooperation with the European Agency.

It should be noted that in order to strengthen sectoral cooperation with EU agencies and strengthen the process of Georgia's integration into the European Union, a working agreement was signed between the Ministry of Justice and the EMCDDA in September 2022, which aims to improve the existing drug policy and monitoring mechanisms in the country and inform decision-makers with evidence.

Deputy Minister of Justice, Beka Dzamashvili opened the closing event of the project and thanked both the EU delegation to Georgia, the EMCDDA and the project team for the assistance and fruitful cooperation. Representatives of the thematic agencies and civil sector attended the event.

The implementation of a balanced drug policy based on the protection of human rights and research and analysis was and remains a priority of the Georgian government. The Ministry of Justice will continue active cooperation with the EMCDDA in this regard.

Deputy Minister of Justice, Buba Lomuashvili spoke today about the progress in the Ministry of Justice in the direction of protecting the rights of persons with disabilities at the 16th session of the Conference of the Contracting States of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

The Deputy Minister emphasized the importance of the principles of accessibility and inclusiveness and focused on the provision of simplified information and state services for disabled people.

It should be noted that the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities in the Ministry of Justice is carried out within the framework of the 2023 action plan. The document was developed with the involvement of the Advisory Council, which includes representative organizations of disabled people, non-governmental organizations and representatives of the disabled community.

The representatives of the executive and legislative authorities of Georgia also participated in the conference. Within the framework of the visit, a meeting is planned with the Chairperson of the United Nations Committee on Persons with Disabilities, Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame.

Starting today, receiving the services of the Public Service Hall will be available for convicts at the place of serving the sentence. The project is a Georgian innovation and has no analogues in any country in the world. The first branch of the Public Service Hall was opened today by the Minister of Justice in the 16th penitentiary institution.

More than 50 services of the Public Service Hall are available to those in the penitentiary institution, including obtaining ID documents, birth registration, giving consent for issues related to minor children, issues related to citizenship, determining the status of a single parent, registering divorce, obtaining a certificate, getting registered as an entrepreneur and other. Convicted persons will be able to receive the service by prior reservation.

The branches will also serve the employees of the penitentiary service.

Until now, the persons in custody could receive the service either on the basis of a power of attorney issued to a third party, or by written communication with the Public Service Hall. In both cases, the service required a long time and insufficiently flexible procedures. After the opening of the branches of the Public Service Hall in the penitentiary system, services for convicts will be just as comfortable as for any visitor of the Public Service Hall, and the space intended for the service center is in full compliance with the interior of the Public Service Hall.

The opening of the branch of the Public Service Hall in the 16th penitentiary institution was attended by Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, Head of the Human Rights Committee of the Parliament, Mikhel Sarjveladze, the heads of the Public Service Halls, as well as the heads of the special penitentiary service, and invited guests.

Today, the branch of the Public Service Hall was also launched in the 5th (women's) institution of Rustavi and other branches will gradually open in other institutions as well.

The project is implemented within the framework of the bilateral cooperation memorandum signed between the Public Service Hall and the Special Penitentiary Service.

A memorandum of cooperation was signed today between Justice Minister, Rati Bregadze and Tbilisi Mayor, Kakha Kaladze, according to which, in October 2023, a large-scale reform of systematic land registration will begin in the areas designated by Tbilisi City Hall.

The reform envisions measuring and registering land plots free of charge for citizens according to a predetermined schedule.

Starting from 2022, the systematic registration of Tbilisi will be carried out by the National Agency of Public Registry, similar to the systematic registration that is ongoing throughout the country. The project will be funded by Tbilisi Municipality City Hall and will be completed by the end of 2024. At the moment, 27,684 plots of land, covering 757 hectares, will be measured and registered in Tbilisi Municipality, relevant equipment will be purchased and about 130 people will be employed.

Within the framework of the ongoing systematic registration throughout the country, which will also end at the end of 2024, about 1,000 jobs have already been created; More than 305,000 plots of have been measured, the total area of which is more than 104,000 hectares; Ownership rights were registered for more than 250,000 plots of land, with a total area of 93,957 hectares.

Systematic land registration is completely free for all citizens. Diaspora representatives can also benefit from the reform.

An international conference - Commonly Understood Language as a Tool for Migration Management: the EMN Glossary on Asylum and Migration - was held today in Tbilisi, which was opened by the First Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia, Tamar Tkeshelashvili, together with representatives of the General Directorate of Home Affairs of Latvia and the European Commission.

The conference was jointly organized by the State Services Development Agency of the Ministry of Justice and the Latvian National Contact Person of the European Migration Network.

The European Migration Network (EMN) has developed and continuously updates a comprehensive glossary defining the main concepts of asylum and migration policy in the EU. The dictionary was translated into Georgian by the Legislative Herald of the Ministry of Justice in cooperation with the State Department of Language.

The event aimed to provide a discussion platform where the network's national contact persons, academic circles and representatives of the migration field from different countries would share their experiences in the use of migration-related terminologies.

The conference highlighted the essence of network terms and their importance both for the EU and beyond.

The international conference was supported by the European Union.

The International Association of European Business Registers (EBRA) unites 42 countries of the European Union and the Council of Europe and aims to promote effective cooperation in the field of business registration.

The delegation of Georgia informed the participants of the conference about the new law on Entrepreneurs adopted in accordance with the European Union directives and about the actual issues of implementation and practice of services corresponding to the law. The presentation of the electronic portal of the public registry was also held, which is an important innovation in the field of business registration.

The implementation of the law adopted in accordance with the directives of the European Union and the registration practice received special interest from the European community. As a result, among several willing states, the choice was stopped on Georgia and it was decided that Georgia will be the host country of the 2024 European Business Registers Association event.

The Government of Georgia has decided to initiate the draft law prepared by the Ministry of Justice. The purpose of the legislative change is to promote the maintenance and development of close ties with the homeland of compatriots living abroad.

After the changes are implemented:

• A person wishing to obtain Georgian citizenship shall pass the exam before submitting an application for granting citizenship to the State Services Development Agency;
• In case of an unsatisfactory result, the agency will no longer start the formal procedures for granting citizenship, thus saving the time and resources of both the citizens and the agency;
• In case of failure in the exam, the person will have the right to retake the exam without restriction. When passing the exam, its results will be valid for 1 year; in case of a final negative decision on the application for obtaining Georgian citizenship, the period for re-starting the procedure for granting citizenship will be reduced from 1 year to 6 months;
• The 10-year residence permit for stateless persons to obtain citizenship in Georgia will be reduced to 5 years, thus fully fulfilling the commitment made to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The draft law was presented today by Minister of Justice, Rati Bregadze at the government session.

Tamar Tkeshelashvili discussed with Asad Majid Khan the issues of sectoral cooperation between the two countries and emphasized the importance of the international community's support for the territorial integrity of Georgia.

The First Deputy Minister introduced the main priorities of the Ministry of Justice to the Pakistani delegation.

The Pakistani party expressed its desire to share Georgia's experience in providing services and digitalization.

The conversation also touched on the state policy in the direction of migration.

The meeting was attended by Head of the State Services Development Agency, Ketevan Betlemidze, Ambassador of Pakistan to Georgia, Bilal Haye, and Director of the 3rd European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Ali Shahid.