President Zurabishvili on Recent Church Developments and Cyber-attacks

At the Opening of the Georgian Defense and Security Conference (GDSC) 2019 in Batumi, the President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili gave a speech in which she addressed the challenges of safety in Georgia and the region, focusing on the recent cyber-attacks inside the country and the developments around the Georgian Church.

The President spoke about disinformation, defamation and fake news, saying it can threaten the foundations of society. She also highlighted that the issues raised around the Georgian Church. At the same time, she complimented Georgian society for “resisting these manipulations.”

“Challenges to stability do not have to have a military nature: recently, we have seen how disinformation, defamation, and fake news can threaten the foundations of society. Such was the destructive nature of the recent attacks on the Georgian Church and its leader. Fortunately, society, when faced with such a challenge, has proven its maturity and capacity to resist these manipulations,” President Zurabishvili said.

The President also spoke about the recent cyber attacks in Georgia.

“New forms of threats are becoming known to us. Like most countries here represented, cyber-security has become a major challenge. Last week in Georgia 13 000 domains were attacked, one of them the Presidential Administration itself. Georgia is mobilizing new resources and is ready to cooperate more actively to counter these threats and be ready,” she announced.

In her speech, the Georgian President also evaluated the stability of Georgia. She said that the country had succeeded in keeping its stability and protecting the democratic development from undesirable effects. However, she noted that this endeavor has to become more active by sharing information with partners more actively, with more transparency and with stricter control at the borders.

By Nini Dakhundaridze

Image source: 1tv.ge