The Chairman of the State Agency for Religious Issues, Zaza Vashakmadze, met with the Chairman of the State Committee on Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ramin Mammadov.

The meeting, held at the Administration of the Government of Georgia, was attended by the members of the Azerbaijani delegation - Member of the Azerbaijani Parliament, Head of the Friendship Group with the Parliament of Georgia Arzu Naghiyev, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee on Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan Gunduz Ismayilov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Georgia Faig Guliev, Metropolitan Theodore (Chuadze) of Akhaltsikhe and Tao-Klarjeti, Dean of  St. George’s Church in Kakhi district Petre (Khumarashvili), Sheikh of the Administration of All Muslims of Georgia Faig Nabiev and Mufti of Eastern Georgia Etibar Eminov. At the meeting, the Aspects of cooperation between the two structures, issues of protecting the religious rights of the Muslim community in Georgia and the Georgian Orthodox parish in Azerbaijan, and future prospects, were discussed.

The Chairman of the Agency spoke about the tolerant environment in Georgia and drew attention to the assistance which  in accordance with the Decree of the Government of Georgia, (“On the Procedure for Implementing Certain Measures Related to Partial Compensation for Damage Caused to Religious Associations in Georgia During the Soviet Totalitarian Regime”), the State provides to religious organizations, including the Muslim community. According to Zaza Vashakmadze, in addition to financial assistance, 262 mosques had already been returned to the representatives of the Muslim community. The Azerbaijani counterpart thanked Zaza Vashakmadze for his reception and noted that all conditions had been created for Azerbaijanis living in Georgia to preserve their religious and ethnic identity. Zaza Vashakmadze expressed interest in the protection of religious rights of Georgian Orthodox Christians living in Azerbaijan, as well as the situation of Georgian Muslims, and emphasized the good-neighborly cooperation between the two agencies, the readiness of his Azerbaijani counterpart to protect the religious rights of Georgian Orthodox Christians as much as possible, and expressed hope that the tradition of mutually beneficial cooperation would continue.