A monitoring mission from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, together with experts from ICOMOS and ICCROM, has arrived in Mtskheta to assess the condition of the city’s historic monuments, which are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The mission will evaluate the overall conservation status of the monuments, as well as the effectiveness of the special urban planning regime and construction moratorium currently in force in Mtskheta. Experts will also review issues related to the city’s spatial and territorial development.
As part of the visit, a working meeting was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Regional Development of Georgia where officials discussed main challenges linked to Mtskheta, including the preparation of planning and management documentation for the city’s spatial development.
The meeting was led by Regional Development Minister Kakhaber Guledani and Deputy Culture Minister Giorgi Mirtkhulava.
Participants included the State Representative of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region Aleksandre Zagashvili, Mtskheta Mayor Gogi Abuashvili and Chairman of the Mtskheta Municipal Council Giorgi Eloshvili.
Other attendees were First Deputy Minister of Economy Nino Enukidze, Member of Parliament for Mtskheta Dimitri Khundadze, as well as representatives from the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia and the Spatial and Urban Development Agency of Georgia.
The international mission includes ICOMOS expert Alkiviadis Prepis, ICCROM expert Stefan Balici and Program Specialist for Europe and North America at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre Irena Kake.
The Ministry of Culture of Georgia stated that the visit is part of ongoing international efforts to ensure that the historic monuments of Mtskheta are preserved and managed in accordance with UNESCO World Heritage standards.
