PM Garibashvili delivers a speech at Brussels Forum, focusing on cooperation between NATO allies
By Khatia Bzhalava
Tuesday, June 15
On Monday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili participated as a Key-Note Speaker in Brussels Forum, which took place in parallel with the NATO June 14 summit. The Head of the Georgian Government delivered a speech during a panel named Investing in Resilience, which focuses on the importance of cooperation between NATO allies.
Garibashvili stated in his speech that since Georgia regained its independence in 1991, it has been subjected to economic, energy, and trade blockades, cyber-attacks, information warfare, and other types of non-conventional, as well as conventional warfares. He stated that in the conditions of Russia occupying 20 percent of Georgia's territories and using them as a testing ground for its destructive policies, the mentioned hostile actions continue to this day.
According to him, countries in the region, Europe, and beyond have faced new security threats and are looking for ways to protect themselves.
“Hence, it is crucial for like-minded states to join forces and share tools and experience to build the resilience, which has become a crucial concept not only in the military but much broader terms – the resilience of societies, founded on the shared principles of human rights, rule of law, good governance and market economy,” PM Garibashvili underscored.
He mentioned in his speech that Strengthening Georgia’s democratic institutions, boosting economic development, and pursuing modernization are among the important efforts that are being undertaken to make Georgia more resilient to external threats.
According to the PM, the complex nature of modern hybrid warfare calls for joint effort and support from partners. As he noted, in this regard, it is important that the NATO Summit 2021 focuses on the 2030 Summit Agenda, which will become the basis of the new strategic concept of the Alliance. Garibashvili stressed that for many years NATO has been actively investing in Georgia. He expressed readiness to further strengthen the partnership with NATO in this direction.
“For aspirant Georgia, this agenda is all the more pertinent, as we prepare ourselves for the membership in the Alliance. Because the more resilient each like-minded partner and each member is, the stronger NATO is. And this is the only way to prevail in the battle of systems of values for freedom and peace-loving nations,” Garibashvili concluded.
The Brussels Forum was attended by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and other global leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and Slovakia’s President Zuzana Caputova.
