Prime Minister of Georgia to attend National Security Council meeting
By Tea Mariamidze
Thursday, January 28
A meeting of the National Security Council, scheduled for January 29 at 14:00, will be attended by the Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
According to Security Council representatives, two issues will be discussed at the meeting: preparation for the NATO summit to be held in July in Warsaw, and the report of the Defense Minister, Tina Khidasheli, about the participation of Georgia’s armed forces in ongoing international missions.
It should be mentioned that the previous PM of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, had a strained relationship with the Presidential institution and he did not attend previous meetings of the Security Council, which was often a cause of criticism towards him.
According to the governmental administration, Giorgi Kvirikashvili believes that cooperation between the institutions is a must.
“The PM believes that respect between the institutions is very important and should not become an issue of discussion in the future,” stated a government spokesperson.
The opposition believes that the question - whether the PM will attend the Security meeting or not - is nothing short of a joke. The majority noted there were some problems in this direction in the past, but believe that new PM Kvirikashvili will improve the situation.
“I do not understand why this issue causes so much discussion. For the past three years we only saw disputes between the state institutions and this is the reason why our country is going to the wrong direction,” opposition member Gigi Tsereteli stated.
However, one of the leaders of the Free Democrats, Maia Panjikidze, believes that current PM respects State Institutions more than his predecessor and she has positive expectations towards this issue.
According to Gia Volski, a member of the parliamentary majority, there were some problems in the past, but he believes that all the members of the Security Council should consider important issues on agenda.
It should be noted that meetings of the National Security Council are customarily arranged by the President, Giorgi Margvelashvili.
The meeting scheduled for January 29 coincides with the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the Security Council. A special reception will be held after the meeting, which will also be attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps.
