US Department of State Praises Georgia’s Anti-Terrorism Efforts

In the Country Reports on Terrorism 2017 , the United States Department of States says that the Government of Georgia is “generally capable of detecting, deterring, and responding to terrorist incidents.”

The document reads that Georgia is a longstanding member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, adding it continued its strong engagement with the United States across a range of counterterrorism-related issues.

It also says that Georgia participated in numerous bilateral exercises and remained a solid US security partner.

“In May, US and Georgian leadership signed the Agreement of the United States of America and the Government of Georgia Concerning Security Measures for the Protection of Classified Information, establishing a legal foundation for bilateral intelligence sharing that will strengthen counterterrorism cooperation and enhance the Georgian military’s interoperability with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states,” the report reads.

The US Department of State says the State Security Service of Georgia (SSSG) has the lead in handling terrorism-related incidents and is generally well equipped and well trained.

“In 2017, Georgia’s law enforcement bodies signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Improving the Efficiency of Interagency Cooperation in the Law Enforcement Sphere, which provides for the creation of an Operational Headquarters on the Management of Extreme Situations, in the event of a terrorist act," the document reads.

Moreover, the report underlines that Georgia improved infrastructure in five land border sectors and also established a Risk and Threat Assessment Unit, which operates in line with the European Common Integrated Risk Analysis Model, and signed the Tactical Memorandum with the NATO Maritime Command, promoting cooperation and information sharing between NATO and Georgia’s Joint Maritime Operations Center.

“This makes Georgia a non-operational partner of the NATO-led Operation Sea Guardian, one of NATO’s activities to counter terrorism…The Georgian government approved and implemented the Joint Action Plan on the Management of Crisis – Extreme Situations in the Field of Civil Aviation,” the document says.

The US Department of State also mentions the November 21-22 special anti-terrorist operation held by the SSSG in Tbilisi, which repelled the future terrorist activities of the ISIS member Akhmet Chatayev and his group. One member of the terrorist group was detained, two were killed, and Chatayev detonated an explosive, killing himself. Later on, five more people were detained by the SSSG in connection with the case.

The report added that Georgia is a member of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism, a Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-style regional body. Also, Georgia’s financial intelligence unit, the Financial Monitoring Service of Georgia, is a member of the Egmont Group.

“Georgia’s anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism legal framework remains largely in compliance with international standards, in particular with updated FATF recommendations,” the document says.

As for the Europe in general, the report says the EU faced a number of ongoing terrorist threats and concerns in 2017, including from foreign terrorist organizations operating out of Iraq and Syria, foreign terrorist fighters returning to Europe to conduct attacks, and homegrown terrorists who were inspired or remotely directed by ISIS.

By Thea Morrison

Photo: November 21 anti-terrorist operation in Tbilisi. Image source: guardian.ng