Ashish Kumar Sen

Georgia’s European Choice ‘Irreversible,’ says Georgian Prime Minister  In an election season in which Georgia’s NATO aspirations have been hotly debated, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili insists that his country’s European choice is “irreversible.” “An overwhelming majority of the people of Georgia consider the goal of joining EU and NATO to be a necessity that will lead to a higher standard of democracy, security, peace, and prosperity in our country and region,” Kvirikashvili said in an interview.  US Secretary of State John Kerry (left) met Georgia’s prime minister, Georgi Kvirikashvili, in Tbilisi, Georgia, on July 6. (Reuters/David Mdzinarishvili)

Georgia’s President Wants Security Guarantees for Eastern Partnership Countries   The terrorist attacks on Paris and Brussels show that there is an urgent need for “bigger security guarantees” for countries of the Eastern Partnership, Georgia’s President, Giorgi Margvelashvili, said at the Atlantic Council on March 30.

Georgia Looks to Attract US Business  Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze is hopeful that his government’s decision to award a multibillion dollar contract to a US-based company and a new economic development plan will attract more US firms to Georgia.

Keeping Georgia’s NATO Dream Alive Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili was catapulted to office in December of 2015 after the abrupt resignation of his predecessor, Irakli Garibashvili. In his previous role as Foreign Minister, Kvirikashvili led significant initiatives to advance Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic and European integration efforts. That will continue. Kvirikashvili says realizing Georgia’s dream of EU and NATO membership will be a top priority for his administration. “We are not looking for shortcuts and do not expect immediate progress in the integration process, but it is of the utmost importance to demonstrate to our people that the process is not stalled and that it is delivering tangible results,” Kvirikashvili said.

Wanted: A ‘Comprehensive Strategy’ to Deal with Russia  The West needs to develop a “comprehensive strategy” to counter Russian authoritarianism and support Georgia’s aspiration of joining NATO, Georgian Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, said at the Atlantic Council on Oct. 29. 

With World Focused on Ukraine, Russia Makes Moves on Georgia  While the world focuses its attention on the Ukraine crisis, Russia has been quietly grabbing territory from another neighbor—Georgia. The Kremlin’s aggression against Ukraine is just the latest provocation by Russia in its neighborhood, Georgia’s Foreign Minister, Tamar Beruchashvili, reminded an audience June 12, pointing out that Russian forces invaded her country in the summer of 2008.

Russia’s neighbors shiver amid Putin’s Cold War moves in Ukraine Moscow’s declaration that it intervened in Ukraine to protect Russian “citizens and compatriots” and would do so again has sent shock waves across former Soviet republics that have large, and often restive, ethnic Russian minorities.

Georgia P.M. Garibashvili eyes NATO membership, while keeping Russia at bay Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili is determined to maintain his country’s embrace of the West by boosting economic ties with the European Union and eventually joining NATO , but he worries about pressure from Russia to bring the former Soviet republic into Moscow’s fold.