Georgia hosts South-Eastern Europe Defense Ministerial
By Tea Mariamidze
Thursday, October 12
The South-Eastern Europe Defense Ministerial (SEDM) was held in Georgia’s Black Sea Coastal city of Batumi for the first time.
Georgian Defense Minister Levan Izoria opened the ministerial and underlined its importance.
“The beginning of the XXI century has been marked by deep turbulence in the geopolitical volatility, manifested all around the world with Conventional and non-Conventional challenges. The challenges are directly affecting us - countries of the Black Sea and South–East European Region,” he stated.
The Georgian Minister underlined that SEDM Platform gives a unique opportunity for promoting regional co-operation, and strengthening the defense capabilities to overcome the existing security challenges.
“United Europe will better deal with a complex and constantly changing security environment,” Izoria added.
SEDM Chairman Eleftherios Anghelopoulos also addressed event participants.
SDEM Ministerial was established in 1996 during the meeting of regional ministers in Tirana, Albania under the initiative of the United States.
The members of the SEDM are the following countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, USA, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro. Moldova is an observer nation.
SEDM aims to consolidate cooperation among regional countries to promote peace and security in the region, as well as to support Euro-Atlantic integration.
Georgia became SEDM member country on September 10, 2015. Official Tbilisi got SEDM observer status in 2006. In 2013 Georgia asked the organization for membership.
The SEDM Ministerial meeting will be followed by the eleventh Georgia Defense and Security Conference (GDSC).
