A state inter-agency commission will be established to address “misunderstandings” stemming from lack of legislative basis in relations between the state and religious groups, other than the Georgian Orthodox Church, State Minister for Reintegration, Paata Zakareishvili, said.

“Georgia as a state has legal relations only with the Orthodox Church, which is regulated by the constitutional agreement, Concordat. There is no such legal link between the state and other religious groups. It causes misunderstandings of various kinds, for example on the issues of defining the legality of religious buildings, sources of financing of religious organizations and other such issues,” said Zakareishvili, whose portfolio of state minister also includes relations with minorities.

“Precisely for that purpose to regulate such issues, it was decided to set up the inter-agency commission, which will submit before the government and the Parliament relevant legislative amendments,” he said after a session of government on November 25, which approved creation of the commission.

The commission will unite officials from number of ministries, including from the Ministry of Justice, Education Ministry, Interior Minister, Economy Ministry, Ministry of Culture, as well as state ministries for reintegration, European integration and diaspora.