National Security Council Session Held

On 14 May, at the National Security Council session, the representatives of the Georgian government discussed important issues for the country. The session was attended by the President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Vice-Premier Mikheil Janelidze; Minister of Defence of Georgia Levan Izoria; Head of the State Security Service Vakhtang Gomelauri; Assistant to the President of National Security Issues and Secretary of National Security Council Davit Rakviashvili. The session discussed the following issues:

- Preparation for the upcoming NATO summit;

- Russian threats and its influence on Georgia’s security;

- Communication with the US and other strategic partners;

- Ongoing geopolitical processes and Georgian security environment;

It should be noted that despite the political controversies, the president and the government officials agreed on the main aspects of the above-mentioned issues: "We may have different opinions on various topics, but when it comes to the defence of the country, and when we are talking about the ways for dealing with Russian threats, or when we discuss NATO integration issues, we are constructive," Giorgi Margvelashvili said.

One of the main topics of the session was a preparation process for the upcoming NATO summit, which will be held on July 11- 12 in Brussels, Belgium.

The Security Council members agreed that the progress of Georgia, which is confirmed by the NATO member states, should be adequately reflected on the summit: "Before the NATO summit, May 26 (the Independence Day of Georgia) gives us a very important platform for presenting our joint position - at this day, important delegations will be visiting Georgia, and this gives us an interesting platform.

It is the fact that Georgia is one of the advanced countries in the NATO integration process and in this respect Georgia's progress should be expressed in relevant steps that will lead us to full membership, "said Margvelashvili.

The PM Kvirikashvili shares the president's opinion regarding the NATO summit: “our aim is to achieve the adequate reflection of our progress on the NATO summit. We discussed the possible ways to get closer to NATO membership, which is our main goal," Kvirikashvili stated. It should be noted that neither the president nor the prime minister did not specify what results would be assumed as the adequate reflection of Georgia's progress on the NATO summit.

Threats from Russia was the second important topic discussed at the session. Everybody agrees that Russia does not carry out its aggressive foreign policy against Georgia only with a creeping occupation. Today it uses the technique of hybrid warfare and attempts to encourage anti-Western nationalism in Georgia, resulting into the increased number of neo-Nazi and fascist organizations in the country. The recent publication of the research, conducted by the "Media Development Foundation" which reflects the main mechanisms of Russian anti-Western propaganda, also confirms the fact.

Therefore, the support of our strategic partners and deepening the relationship with them plays a crucial role in maintaining the security of Georgia.

The Secretary of National Security Council Davit Rakviashvili stressed the fact that despite the Georgian government’s activities to ensure the security of the country, Georgia needs more support from its partners.

"In this situation, the support from our strategic partners is very important - we have talked about the adoption of the President's initiative about the "Georgian Supporting Act" in the US Senate and the Congress, and I can say that the position about this act is absolutely unanimous between the parliament and the government," Rakviashvili stated.

The topics discussed at the National Security Council are strongly tied to each other. Deepening the communication with the western partners will have a positive impact on Georgia's progress at the upcoming summit and therefore to the NATO integration process.