State Department Report on Terrorism hails Georgia as “strong” security partner for US
The report noted the terrorism situation in Georgia in 2021 remained “quiet and stable”, with the Georgian authorities taking “further action” to secure the country’s borders and arresting five citizens on ISIS-related terrorism charges during the year.Photo:Defense.gov.
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The United States Department of State's 2021 Country Report on Terrorism on Tuesday said Georgia had continued its “robust engagement” on counterterrorism issues throughout that year and remained a “strong” security partner for the United States.
The report noted the terrorism situation in Georgia in 2021 remained “quiet and stable”, with the Georgian authorities taking “further action” to secure the country’s borders and arresting five citizens on ISIS-related terrorism charges during the year.
Updated counterterrorism financing legislation came into force in Georgia, and the country worked to update its National Counterterrorism Strategy and Action Plan”, the document noted.
The release also highlighted the violence carried out by “far-right groups” against journalists and activists ahead of the planned Tbilisi Pride events in July of that year, where dozens of reporters gathered to cover the queer event were left injured.
Georgia is generally capable of detecting, deterring, and responding to terrorism incidents. [...] The State Security Service of Georgia is generally well equipped and well trained, and its Counterterrorism Unit continues to receive regular training and equipment, including from international partners”, the State Department also said.
“Because Russia occupies the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgia does not control a portion of its internationally recognized land border with Russia and therefore must enforce security along administrative boundary lines with its occupied territories”, the report also pointed out.
The importance of the existing strategic partnership between Georgia and the United States and strengthening their cooperation in “various fields” were discussed on Thursday in a meeting between the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Louis Bono, the US Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday told Imedi TV the country’s authorities would work to prevent the country from being “dragged into the war” between Ukraine and Russia “no matter what”.
The Georgian State Security Service on Saturday announced the detention of Georgian citizen Malkhaz Paksashvili, the leader of one of the groups of the terrorist organisation Islamic State, by its Counterterrorism Centre.
The strategic partnership between Georgia and the United States in defence and security and the importance of strengthening it were discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between Irakli Beraia, the Chair of the Defence and Security Committee in the Georgian Parliament, and Joseph Bilbo, the US Defence Attaché in Georgia.
The US House of Representatives has passed a bill on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPs) for 2022 which allocates 132 million USD in financial aid for Georgia and expresses ‘strong support’ for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has stated.
The US government has announced a rapid response grant programme for Georgian civil society organisations, civic movements and citizen groups to help the country respond to challenges caused by COVID-19 virus in a timely manner.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that the most recent report on terrorism by the US Department of State has ‘highly praised’ the activities of Georgian law enforcement and security agencies, adding that US-Georgia cooperation in the security field should become ‘more and more effective.’
The US Department of State said in its recent report on terrorism that in 2019 Georgia, ‘a longstanding member’ of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, ‘continued its robust engagement’ with the US across a range of counterterrorism-related issues.
Grigol Liluashvili, the Head of the Georgian State Security Service, on Wednesday said the French investigative services “have not contacted Georgia for legal assistance regarding the father of the Arras attacker”, who killed one and injured several people in a knife attack at a public school in northern France town of Arras.
Grigol Liluashvili, the Head of the Georgian State Security Service, on Thursday said the Service's efforts and the implemented measures “have significantly reduced the number of possible supporters of terrorism” in Georgia.
Georgia continues to fulfil visa liberalisation benchmarks and has taken action to address the European Commission’s previous recommendations, the sixth report of the Commission on the fulfilment of visa-free obligations by Eastern Partnership countries and the Balkan states said on Thursday.
Grigol Liluashvili, the Head of the State Security Service of Georgia, on Friday noted the threat of use of nuclear weapons in the wider region and told MPs "smart" and "pragmatic" policy was key against the danger.
The United States Department of State's Country Reports on Terrorism for 2022 has highlighted Georgia's “robust engagement” in counterterrorism efforts, portraying the nation as a stalwart partner in global security.
The importance of strategic partnership and “strong security cooperation” between Georgia and the United Kingdom was reviewed on Friday in a meeting between Grigol Liluashvili, the Head of the State Security Service of Georgia, and Mark Clayton, the British Ambassador to the country.
The current counter-terrorist situation in the world, the wider region and Georgia was discussed on Sunday in a meeting of the Inter-agency Standing Commission for Developing and Monitoring Implementation of the National Strategy and Action Plan for Combating Terrorism.
Georgian MPs from the Trust Group, a domestic defence and security platform in the Parliament, expressed their appreciation on Wednesday for the "highly effective coordination” demonstrated by the country's State Security Service in “thwarting all terrorism threats".
The Georgian State Security Service on Monday said the “false reports” on potential presence of explosives at several locations in the country's western city of Batumi, made on Sunday, had been made from abroad.
Kakha Kaladze, the Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party and Tbilisi Mayor, on Monday commented on the statement of the State Security Service that said “false reports” originating abroad had been made on potential presence of explosives at several locations in the country's western city of Batumi, by alleging an “attempt to sow alarm among the public”.
Irakli Beraia, the Chair of the Defence and Security Committee in the Georgian Parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday responded to an alleged terrorist plot prevented by the country’s State Security Service, which said it had uncovered transportation of explosives from Ukraine to Russia via Georgia, by claiming a mention of a Ukrainian ruling party representative in the scheme was “alarming”.
Aleksandre Tabatadze, the First Deputy Chairman of the Defence and Security Committee in the Georgian Parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Tuesday hailed the State Security Service for having countered “serious threats” to the country following the seizure of explosives allegedly targeted for transportation from Ukraine to Russia via Georgia.
Robin Dunnigan, the United States Ambassador to Georgia, on Wednesday commended the “genuine dedication” of the Georgian Government to its partnership with Washington for combating terrorism.