Georgia’s Minister of Justice, Paata Salia, met with the Chair of the East and Central Europe and Central Asia Commission on Drug Policy (ECECACD) and members of its delegation to discuss Georgia’s national drug policy priorities and approaches.

Paata Salia noted that Georgia’s drug policy is based on a four-pillar strategy aimed at preventing crime, providing treatment and rehabilitation, reducing harm, and curbing drug supply.

The Minister briefed the ECECACD delegation on the work of the Interagency Coordination Council on Drug Policy and the strategic documents guiding its activities. The discussion also covered the work of the National Drug Situation Monitoring Centre and its role in developing evidence-based drug policy.

Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of international cooperation, especially with organizations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Council of Europe’s Pompidou Group, and the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA).

The meeting was also attended by First Deputy Minister of Justice Beka Dzamashvili and Ketevan Sarajishvili, Head of the Department of International Relations and Legal Cooperation.

Minister of Justice Paata Salia introduced Ramaz Tatarashvili, the newly appointed head of the Special Penitentiary Service, to the Service’s staff.

Paata Salia wished Tatarashvili every success in his new position.

Ramaz Tatarashvili has 28 years of experience in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, primarily in managerial roles. Before his appointment as head of the Special Penitentiary Service, he served as Director of the Shida Kartli Police Department. Prior to that, he headed the Imereti Police Department.

Ramaz Tatarashvili holds the rank of Police Colonel.

The 128th branch of the Public Service Hall has opened in Chala, a village in Sachkhere Municipality. Residents of Chala will now be able to access more than 600 public and private-sector services in a modern building, with the high standards of service for which Public Service Halls are known.

The new branch was officially opened by Minister of Justice Paata Salia, Member of Parliament Paata Kvizhinadze, State Representative in the Imereti Region Levan Zalkaliani, Deputy Minister of Justice Lana Morgoshia, and Chairman of the Public Service Hall Vakhtang Jvania.

The Chala Public Service Hall is staffed entirely by local personnel. To ensure the best possible accessibility, its facilities have been designed to meet the needs of persons with disabilities and comply with the relevant accessibility standards.

There are currently 28 Public Service Hall branches operating in the Imereti Region, serving an average of more than 600,000 customers annually. To improve access to services for residents of highland and remote villages, three Mobile Public Service Halls also operate in Imereti, serving nearly 10,000 people across 74 villages.

Earlier this year, a new Public Service Hall branch also opened in Khelvachauri, Adjara, while another branch is scheduled to open in the city of Mtskheta by the end of the year. Construction is also progressing actively in Tsalenjikha as part of the Public Service Hall’s ongoing infrastructure development program.

Across Georgia, Public Service Hall branches and Mobile Public Service Halls serve nearly six million customers annually, while the Public Service Hall’s call center provides consultations to more than one million people each year.

Representatives of the legislative and executive branches of government, along with other invited guests, attended the opening ceremony of the Chala Public Service Hall.

Georgia’s Minister of Justice, Paata Salia, met with Croatia’s Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, Damir Habijan, on the sidelines of the OECD Global Forum in Istanbul.

The discussions focused on the importance of digital transformation and harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency and accessibility of justice systems and strengthen the rule of law.

The meeting highlighted the effective cooperation between the justice ministries of the two countries in areas including the rehabilitation and social reintegration of convicted persons and probationers, the effective management of the penitentiary system, and the harmonization of national legislation with the European Union’s legal framework.

Paata Salia briefed his Croatian counterpart on the priorities of Georgia’s Ministry of Justice, including upholding the rule of law and further improving human rights protection standards. The ministers also discussed successful reforms implemented in Georgia’s penitentiary system.

The Georgian Justice Minister also outlined the reforms undertaken in Georgia to advance digital transformation and introduce innovative technologies. He emphasized that the ultimate goal of digital transformation is to make citizens’ interactions with public institutions simpler and more convenient by providing fast and accessible services.

The meeting was also attended by Bekа Dzamashvili, First Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia, and Aleksandre Jishkariani, Consul General of Georgia in Istanbul.

Paata Salia, Georgia’s Minister of Justice, took part in the Global Forum currently underway in Istanbul, jointly organized by the Government of Turkey and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Addressing the forum, the Minister shared Georgia’s successful experience in adopting new technologies, emphasizing their particular importance in the justice sector, where efficiency and accessibility must go hand in hand with transparency and the rule of law.

Paata Salia noted that the ultimate goal of digital transformation is to simplify interactions between citizens and public institutions by providing faster, more accessible, and user-oriented services.

“In recent years, Georgia has made significant progress in modernizing public services. Notable examples include Public Service Hall, which brings together nearly 600 public and private services under one roof; MY.GOV.GE, the unified portal for electronic services; the Smart Contract system, which enables real estate transactions and property registration to be completed remotely; and Digital University, which provides access to educational services for convicted persons,” Paata Salia stated.

The Minister also addressed the challenges that arise alongside technological progress.

“In 2024, we signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. Georgia will continue to advance digital governance and promote the responsible use of new technologies in the justice sector, guided by citizens’ needs and the principles of human rights protection,” Paata Salia noted.

The Global Forum brings together senior representatives of the executive and judicial branches of government from OECD member countries. The Georgian delegation also includes First Deputy Minister of Justice Beka Dzamashvili and Alexander Jishkariani, Consul General of Georgia in Istanbul.

On October 20, 2026, following the public dissemination of information through the mass media, the Investigative Division of the General Inspection of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia launched an investigation into the alleged infliction of bodily injury on inmate David Peikrishvili under Article 126(1) of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

To ensure a comprehensive and objective examination of the circumstances of the case, the relevant investigative and procedural actions provided by law are currently underway.