Ratification of three conventions, concerning social and minority rights, are among the most urgent steps the Council of Europe (CoE) expects Georgia to undertake before September, 2005, said Terry Davis, the Secretary General of CoE, who visited Georgia on April 14-16, at a news conference in Tbilisi on Saturday.

“In terms of urgency, in my discussions with the members of Georgian Parliament and with the Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze, I have urged them to make an urgent progress with the ratification of three conventions, which Georgia promised to ratify at the time of joining the Council of Europe,” Terry Davis said.

“These three conventions concern: [the first one is] very important document called the Social Charter of Europe; the other two conventions concern the rights of minorities and use of minority languages,” he added.

He said that the Georgian government promised to ratify these three conventions by September, 2005, stressing that “this work is urgent.”