Georgia remained strong US security partner in 2019
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Friday, June 26
The administration of US President Donald Trump said that in 2019, ‘dangerous terrorist threats have remained’ despite the failure of Iran, the Islamic State and other extremist groups.
State Department released its annual Country Reports on Terrorism on 24th of June, which provides assessments of global counterterrorism landscape during 2019 for the U.S. Congress.
The report noted that the number of attacks by followers of the ideology of white supremacy was increasing.
Iran, which has been described in the report as ‘the worst supporter of terrorism in the world,’ and its puppets continue to ‘plan and execute terrorist attacks around the world.’
Tehran also continued to allow Iran to operate a network linked to al-Qaeda, ‘sending money and fighters to conflict zones in Afghanistan and Syria and continuing to allow (al-Qaeda) members to live in the country.’
“Finally, the Iranian regime has continued to use force, both directly and through intermediaries, to provoke violence in Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen,” the report said.
The document reads that despite the loss of territory in Iraq and Syria, as well as the loss of the leader, the ‘Islamic State’ adapted to the situation and ‘continued to fight around the world through its own branches and encouraged its followers to attack.’
At the same time, the State Department notes that last year both Iran and the Islamic State and al-Qaeda suffered serious defeats, including the killing of some high-ranking commanders.
The State Department said the attacks by white nationalists were of particular concern and ‘a serious challenge to the world community.’
The report lists a number of such attacks in 2019, including in New Zealand, Germany and the United States.
According to the report, in 2019 Georgia, ‘a longstanding member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, continued its robust engagement’ with the U.S. across a range of counter-terrorism issues.
“Georgia participated in numerous bilateral counter-terrorism exercises and trainings with the United States and remained a strong U.S. security partner,” the report reads.
It notes that although there were no terrorist incidents in Georgia during the past year, the country ‘is generally capable of detecting, deterring, and responding to terrorism incidents.’
The report also notes that ‘recognizing the need for a whole-of-government response to the challenges of terrorism,’ in January the government approved the National Strategy of Georgia on the Fight Against Terrorism 2019-2021 with an accompanying action plan. It also notes that the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG)-chaired Permanent Interagency Commission is responsible for oversight of the strategy and action plan and providing annual status reports on implementation.
It further adds that the country ‘continued in 2019 to improve its border, maritime, and aviation security,’ and is ‘actively engaged on counter-terrorism issues at the international, regional, and bilateral levels.’
The report said that the SSSG, which is the head agency for terrorism-related incidents and investigations, is overall 'well-equipped and well-trained', while its counterterrorism unit 'continues to receive regular training and equipment'.
In particular, the report says, Georgia cooperates closely with NATO, the Council of Europe, the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation, and the Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova (GUAM) Organization for Democracy and Economic Development.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that the most recent report on terrorism by the US Department of State has ‘highly praised’ the activities of Georgian law enforcement and security agencies, adding that US-Georgia cooperation in the security field should become ‘more and more effective.’
“We should understand that we have our role in the region. The role, first of all, is ensuring peace and security and our cooperation with the US in this regard is gaining more importance,” Gakharia said.
