Georgian FM highlights ensuring “security and peace” as main objective of Georgia’s foreign policy

Georgian foreign minister Maka Botchorishvili on Monday said the main objective of Georgia’s foreign policy was to ensure the country’s security and peace.

In her remarks, Botchorishvili noted that the government’s approach was focused on ensuring Georgia’s security and stability through pragmatic foreign policy decisions.

“I remembered 2008 [war with Russia]. At that time we had a government that was welcomed everywhere with something like a red carpet. I remember 2008 very well - who we called, what we managed to do at that time, how we tried to defend our country and who actually defended it”, she said.

Botchorishvili noted that the lessons learned from that period have shaped the current government’s foreign policy approach.

“The policy of the [ruling] Georgian Dream [party] serves the purpose of ensuring that this never happens again and that we will not have to call anyone to stop a tank that has already started moving. This is not that far away. The point is precisely that the ministry of foreign affairs should conduct foreign policy in such a way that other ministries will not have to become actively involved in protecting the country’s security”, Botchorishvili continued.

She further added that this was exactly what distinguishes the policies of the previous government from the approach of the current one.

“This is the difference between the previous government and our government. This is what pragmatism is about - not focusing on showing off or trying to impress someone, but ensuring that our foreign policy stems from our country’s national interests”, the minister said.

Botchorishvili stated that the foundation of the national interest was, first and foremost, the country’s security and peace, and despite criticism from political opponents, Georgian citizens correctly assessed the challenges facing the country and made political decisions accordingly

“National interest is, first of all, the country’s security, and it is closely linked to peace, which some of you have turned into something laughable. But it is not laughable when we look at what is happening around us. Even if our opponents and the opposition fail to properly perceive reality, our citizens and our people understand very well what challenges the country faces and ultimately make their choice based on that”, she concluded.