First Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Giorgi Volski and Chair of the Human Rights Protection and Civil Integration Committee Rati Ionatamishvili met with members of a delegation from the National Ethnic Affairs Commission of the People's Republic of China, who were visiting Georgia.

The participants discussed issues related to the integration of ethnic minorities.

According to Giorgi Volski, the parties exchanged their respective experiences regarding this issue.

“China is home to 56 ethnic groups. Of these, 55 are considered ethnic minorities, yet cultural unity is largely maintained, with the National Ethnic Affairs Commission of the People’s Republic of China playing a particularly important role. As our Chinese guests noted, one of the key priorities is the economic development of regions inhabited by ethnic minorities. The delegation also spoke about positive experiences as well as certain challenges they face in this regard, including economic and social issues”, - said the First Vice Speaker of Parliament.

According to Rati Ionatamishvili, China’s experience in the integration of ethnic minorities is of particular interest, as one of the principal areas of work of the Parliament’s Human Rights Protection and Civil Integration Committee is civil integration.

“China is a multi-ethnic country. Its people are united around one state and one national interest. Therefore, it is important to understand how China implements relevant programmes in this area. There are many similarities and many topics of mutual interest between our countries, and we expressed our readiness to continue cooperation in the future”, - stated the Chair of the Human Rights Protection and Civil Integration Committee.

The meeting at the Parliament of Georgia was also attended by Lia Gigauri, First Deputy State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation and Civic Equality, and Tinatin Ghogheliani, Head of the Civil Equality Department of the Office of the State Minister.