A meeting was held at the Ombudsman's Office between the Authorized Representative for Human Rights in Turkmenistan, Ombudsperson Y. Gurbannazarova, and the First Deputy Public Defender of Georgia, Tamar Gvaramadze.
The purpose of the meeting was to familiarize with the work experience of the central office of the Public Defender of Georgia, its departments, and regional offices, as well as to discuss the agenda for bilateral cooperation. During the meeting, the Authorized Representative for Human Rights in Turkmenistan discussed the activities of the Ombudsman's Office and the reforms being implemented in the country to ensure human rights and freedoms.
Both parties evaluated the role of the Ombudsman's Office as an independent institution in further promoting human rights in the country and emphasized the importance of exchanging best practices in human rights protection. Highlighting the fruitful friendly relations established between the two countries, they discussed future joint cooperation in ensuring human rights and freedoms. As part of her visit to Turkmenistan, Deputy Public Defender of Georgia Tamar Gvaramadze, along with UN OHCHR international expert Natalia Utesheva, participated in a seminar on "International Practice of Effective Complaint Handling Mechanisms by National Human Rights Institutions," organized for representatives of Turkmenistan's Ombudsman's office. The seminar included presentations on the responsibilities and functions of national human rights institutions, procedures for handling complaints according to the Paris Principles, investigation methods, and the complaints mechanism of Georgia's Public Defender Institution.
The seminar provided an overview of the working mechanism of Turkmenistan's Ombudsman's Office, and organized discussion sessions where participants actively expressed their views and opinions on developing proposals to strengthen existing standard procedures. The event offered staff members of the Ombudsman's Office an opportunity to study international experiences in complaint handling by national human rights institutions in line with Paris Principles requirements and to learn about rights related to non-discrimination.
In November 2023, a Turkmen delegation led by Ombudsperson Y. Gurbannazarova visited Georgia on a working trip. During a meeting with Georgia's Public Defender Levan Ioseliani, they explored opportunities for exchanging experiences and enhancing the effectiveness of their national human rights bodies, as well as discussing cooperation issues and future agendas. The Turkmen side was thoroughly acquainted with the activities of the central department of the Public Defender's Office of Georgia and its subdivisions.
During this visit, bilateral meetings were also held with leaders from the Special Investigation Service of Georgia, Human Rights Center, and other relevant institutions.
