"The aggression against Georgia and Ukraine in 2008 was completely undermined security and peace," said Mamuka Bakhtadze, Prime Minister of Georgia during the thematic discussion on security in Eastern Europe.
According to the head of the government, the fact that the Black Sea region is becoming more and more important for Europe and NATO is an important step forward.
"In 2008 aggression against Georgia and Ukraine completely undermined security and peace. Today some experts claim that this is a threat to East Europe. Let me disagree with this opinion. This threat to the whole Euro Atlantic world. This is a great danger. My position is this - unless we have a tangible and strong security in the Black Sea region, it will not be sustainable in Europe. We must unite our efforts. We need to consolidate the initiatives of those nations who believe in freedom and democracy, "- the Prime Minister said.The head of the government talked about the painful challenges facing the country and noted that despite this Georgia has a great success story.
"Russia continues to occupy 20 percent of our territories, but we are a strong nation. I always try to emphasize that our membership in the EU and NATO is not just a political choice. This is a civilizational, value-based choice. According to a recent social survey, 80% of the population supports the idea of joining the EU and NATO. We have great support from our population. Why? Because this is not just a political choice. This is a civilization choice of the nation and we try to deliver this message to our good friends in the West, "- said Mamuka Bakhtadze.
In the thematic discussion, which was moderated by Eurasia Group President Jan Bremer, along with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Ukraine"s President, Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister of Croatia Andrey Plenkovich and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Grimminger participated