“The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi is appalled by reports of a cyberattack carried out on September 1 against the computer system of the Georgian Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs.

The irresponsible attack attempted to illegally access pandemic management information stored in the databases of the Ministry and its units, including those of the Richard G. Lugar Center for Public Health Research.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lugar Center has played a vital role in Georgia’s response to the outbreak, helping to protect the health of the Georgian people and save lives. The United States condemns this reckless, dangerous cyberattack. The security of cyberspace depends on the responsible behavior of nations.

We, together with like-minded members of the international community, will abide by our commitment to an international framework of responsible state behavior in cyberspace. We call on those acting outside of that framework to do so as well and to stop their malicious activities immediately”, - reads the statement.