Georgian FM: ensuring peace, stability remains top priority of Gov’t’s foreign, domestic policy

Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili on Tuesday said ensuring peace and stability remained the top priority of Georgia's foreign and domestic policy.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the Allies in Ankara event, Botchotishvili emphasised the long-standing partnership between Georgia and NATO.

“The close partnership between Georgia and NATO has been developing for many years. NATO and its member states have made a significant contribution to strengthening Georgia's defense capabilities”, the FM said.

“At the same time, it should be noted that Georgia has always made an important contribution to the transatlantic security agenda and NATO's missions and operations. It is enough to recall the mission in Afghanistan, where Georgia, as a non-NATO country, has the largest military contingent as a contributor. This clearly confirms the strength of the partnership between Georgia and NATO”, she continued.

Botchorishvili highlighted the security challenges facing Georgia, noting that the policy of maintaining peace and stability determined the country's strategic priorities.

“For Georgia, maintaining peace and stability has been the top priority of both foreign and domestic policy for many years. We would like to remind you that 20 percent of Georgia’s territory remains under Russian occupation, which is one of the most important security challenges not only for our country, but also for the entire [South Caucasus] region. Georgia’s response to the occupation and conflict is clear - we do not consider the military path as a means of resolving the conflict. Ensuring peace and stability remains the top priority of Georgia’s foreign and domestic policy. This policy determines our strategic priorities”, she added.

The top Georgian diplomat underscored the existing geopolitical context, noting that the strategic importance of the South Caucasus and the Black Sea regions were growing, and Georgia's geographical location created significant opportunities for the development of connectivity and economic routes.

“Given the existing geopolitical context, the region is gaining more and more importance. The strategic role of the South Caucasus and the Black Sea regions are growing significantly. Given the Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing events in the Middle East, the attitude towards the Black Sea region, the South Caucasus and Georgia is changing”, she said.

Botchorishvili further emphasized the importance of the Georgia-Turkey-Azerbaijan strategic partnership and noted that regional connectivity and joint projects were important from a security perspective.

She also highlighted the growing role of the Middle Corridor, which represented an important geo-economic and geopolitical space.

“There is an example of successful cooperation in our region - in the form of Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan. The strategic partnership established over decades is gaining even greater importance from a security perspective today, as jointly implemented energy projects and transport corridors are of completely different importance today”, the FM added.

Botchorishvili further underlined hybrid threats, disinformation, and information manipulation as a significant challenge to stability.

“Another important issue is stability. Maintaining it has become an increasingly difficult task today, as we live in an era of hybrid threats, disinformation and information manipulation. In this regard, Georgia’s experience clearly shows how important it is to limit excessive foreign influence in the country in order to maintain stability”, she noted.

The Minister also discussed Georgia’s economic development and noted that peace, stability and consistent economic reforms were the basis of the country’s success.

“Peace, stability, economic sustainability and consistent economic reforms are an important basis for Georgia’s success. If a country manages to maintain peace and stability and continuously implement economic reforms, the results are also visible. If we look at Georgia’s economic growth, it is truly impressive on a European scale”, she concluded.