Georgian Prime Minister Closes NATO Days
At the closing event of a week of NATO Days, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili thanked the President, Chairman of the Parliament, Cabinet members, Assistant Secretary of State, Wess Mitchell, Assistant NATO Secretary General, Tacan Ildem, and other attendees for their participation and support.
“It is very gratifying to be hosting today the concluding event of NATO Days, the NATO-Georgia Public Diplomacy Forum which is being held for the third time in Tbilisi, emerging in a way as an important tradition,” the PM began, going on to inform those present that the Government of Georgia had declared 2018 the Year of Universal Engagement and Dialogue.
“Our goal is to engage every citizen as an active participant of the country’s development, of both foreign and domestic processes,” he said.
The concept of this year’s NATO forum was 360-Degree Communication, said to complement the vision of both the Government of Georgia and NATO, and involving provision of the population with fact-based information about why Euro-Atlantic integration is so important to the country and its future.
“NATO membership is the top priority of our country’s foreign and security policy, reflecting the unwavering will of Georgia’s citizens,” the PM noted. “This is why it is included in the new version of the Constitution of Georgia.”
“I would like to single out our unprecedentedly dynamic and active relations with the Alliance in terms of both practical cooperation and political dialogue in the past few years, especially last year. We have proved to be a worthy, active and reliable partner to the Alliance,” he claimed.
He told attendees that NATO unequivocally recognizes Georgia’s progress in democratic reforms, modernization of its armed forces and defense institutions, and its contribution to the strengthening of international security. He said it also appreciates Georgia as “one of its most interoperable and reliable partners.”
“Today, we are celebrating the 27th anniversary of the first conscription in the Georgian Armed Forces since the restoration of Georgia’s independence. Over these years, Georgia has been through much. Thousands of soldiers have paid the ultimate price fighting for Georgia’s independence, fighting against Russian occupation, and as part of international peacemaking operations. We honor the memory of Georgia’s heroes on this day and take great pride in the tradition established 27 years ago, and the tradition of fighting side by side forged along our cooperation with NATO, especially under the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan carried out jointly with NATO’s troops.”
He noted Georgia’s expectation that its partners at the Brussels Summit in July will “duly assess and reflect Georgia’s progress in terms of both democratic development and NATO integration, in the context of open door policy, and that decisions will be made further to cement NATO-Georgia practical cooperation.”
The PM spoke of the previous night’s meeting with the US Assistant Secretary of State, Wess Mitchell, which left him “very optimistic” after hearing his “clearly articulated opinions on both Georgia’s territorial integrity and Georgia’s accession to NATO.”
“It is becoming clearer by the minute that the closer we approach NATO, the more intense anti-Western propaganda grows in the country,” Kvirikashvili said. “This is why timely action is required of the Alliance and us. We are doing our best to assess and counter such threats, and we are actively cooperating with our partners on dealing with these threats.”
The PM highlighted the structural changes already implemented in state institutions working, better coordinating responses to such threats.
“For several months now, the Georgian Center for Security and Development, with financial support from the US Embassy, has been retraining strategic communications specialists from relevant state institutions in line with the latest standards, which will, in the near future, enhance the effectiveness of action countering anti-Western propaganda,” he said.
“I am happy that this forum once again enables us to discuss new challenges, methods, and strategies, and to share with one another the best practices of public diplomacy, and to work together against such challenges, he said.
The NATO Days and closing forum were organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the Information Center on NATO and the EU, the NATO Liaison Office in Georgia, NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division and the Bulgarian Embassy in Georgia.
By Katie Ruth Davies