Claus Neurkirch, Director of Programme Coordination of the Council of Europe, visited Tbilisi from 13 to 15 March 2023 to attend the Steering Committee meeting of the Council of Europe-Georgia Action Plan (2020-2023).  The purpose of the meeting was to evaluate the implementation of the Council of Europe's Action Plan 2020-2023 and prepare for the next Action Plan for 2024-2027.

During his visit, Mr Neukirch held separate meetings with representatives of the Georgian authorities: Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mr. Archil Talakvadze, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lasha Darsalia, Human Rights Advisor to the Prime Minister Mr. Niko Tatulashvili, Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission Mr. Giorgi Kalandarishvili, and Public Defender of Georgia Mr. Levan Ioseliani. He also met with representatives of civil society organisations.

In his meetings, Claus Neukirch emphasised the importance of an inclusive approach to further development of the system of protection of human rights in Georgia, including through meaningful involvement of civil society organisations. He expressed the Council of Europe’s commitment to support Georgia’s efforts in this respect. He emphasised that addressing the recommendations of the Council of Europe's monitoring bodies is key to bringing Georgia closer to complying with the European standards in the areas of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.