On March 30, Zaza Vashakmadze, Chairman of the State Agency for Religious Issues, held an introductory meeting with the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Georgia, Thomas Muhlmann.

Zaza Vashakmadze congratulated the guest on his appointment, wished him success in his work and expressed hope that the cooperation with the new Ambassador, as well as with his predecessor, will be successful and will further strengthen the friendship between the two countries.

At the meeting, the Chairman of the Agency briefed the Ambassador on the State Agency for Religious Issues, religious policy in Georgia and the activities carried out by the state in this direction in recent years. Zaza Vashakmadze spoke about the funding of religious organizations, the transfer of religious buildings, trainings under the Governmental Human Rights Action Plan, the formation of an inter-religious council format, the current situation and current challenges in the field of religious freedom.

The Chairman of the Agency focused on the unique experience of coexistence with the Jewish community, and also on the phenomenon of Georgian Islam and its different nature, which in the light of the controversies in the world is perceived as a positive experience of peaceful coexistence of Shiites and Sunnis.

The meeting focused on the situation with regard to religious freedom in the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, the facts of persecution and harassment of the Georgian Orthodox Church, restrictions of worship, as well as encroachement of religious buildings in the regions occupied by the Russian side and the destruction of Georgian cultural identity.

Thomas Muhlmann praised the Agency's work and ongoing projects in the area of ​​religious freedom and human rights. He pointed out that religion is the most important and delicate issue because it can unite and divide people. He noted the importance of bringing religious organizations together.

“Religion should not be isolated, but should be integrated into society. "Although the agency is very young, it has done a lot of work and this work is invaluable," said the Ambassador.

At the end of the meeting, the Ambassador promised the Chairman of the Agency that after the end of the pandemic he would assist the Agency in resuming communication with its counterpart organization in Austria.