Tbilisi to oppose ban on Georgian language in Gali district schools at Geneva consultations
TBILISI. Oct 5 (Interfax) - Georgia will highlight the ban on the Georgian language in schools of the Abkhazian Gali district alongside other pressing matters at the upcoming round of the Geneva consultations on security and stability in the South Caucasus on October 6-7.
"Georgians live in the Gali district, but local children are prohibited from studying in their native language starting from this year. This is a flagrant violation of human rights," member of the Georgian delegation to the Geneva consultations, Deputy State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili told reporters on Monday.
Georgia will once again speak about the return of refugees to Abkhazia and South Ossetia at the Geneva round, she said.
The Geneva consultations involving Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as representatives of the United Nations, the OSCE, the European Union, Russia and the United States, have been ongoing since 2008. The debates are held in two groups addressing humanitarian and security issues.
