Dear Guests, I am greatly honored and delighted to host the Annual 27th Conference and General Meeting of the International Association of Prosecutors for the first time ever in Tbilisi, Georgia. It was announced by the Prime Minister of Georgia, when delivering a welcoming speech at the 27th Annual Conference of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) today.

According to Irakli Garibashvili, advancement of the prosecution as a system has been an unvarying priority of the Government of Georgia. The Prime Minister therewith expressed gratitude to Irakli Shotadze and his team of professionals.

“I wish to exceptionally greet and welcome our dear guests - Cheol-Kyu Hwang, IAP President; Han Moraal, IAP Secretary-General; Ladislav Hamran, Eurojust President; Nazhat Shameem Khan, Deputy Prosecutor within the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) along with many other senior prosecutors from all over the world, professionals working in the system of justice and high-caliber experts operating throughout the world.

Title of the Conference - Global Developments Transforming the Criminal Justice Systems - clearly evidence the essence of complex challenges amidst which we live and work nowadays.

Difficulties caused by the COVID pandemic and now this war in Ukraine, threats stemming from the military activities witnessed on the continent of Europe and crimes related to digital transformation, including the money laundering with crypto currencies and cybercrime at rising scale have made it clear that the world is undergoing a complex process of renewal. Law-enforcement bodies play a significant role in the building of a more fair, democratic, peaceful international society – be that at the national level or through international partnerships.

Advancement of the prosecution as a system has been an unvarying priority of the Government of Georgia since our team came to power. Independence of prosecution in our tenure has been recognized with the supreme law of the country – Constitution of Georgia and it has transformed into a fully independent institution. Significant reforms have led to the effective, accountable and transparent performance of the Prosecutor’s Office. Besides, it has been developing on a permanent basis. I wish to express my gratitude to Irakli Shotadze, General Prosecutor and his team of professionals” stated the Prime Minister of Georgia.

According to the Head of Government, consistent support of international partners – such as IAP - is vital in the process of transformation.

“Of course, permanent support of our international partners – your support – is vital in the process of transformation. We particularly value cooperation with such reputable organizations as the International Association of Prosecutors. Interaction with sister organizations from over 180 countries and their individual members is essential for the further improvement of our prosecution on the one hand and we believe that a significant role is played by us as well in building the fair and democratic world – on the other hand.

This conference and events planned within this period, including the Agreement to be concluded by and between the Prosecutor’s Offices of Georgia and EU, thus advancing towards our common goals with yet another step forward.

Lastly, I wish to express my profound gratitude to the Executive Committee of IAP for naming Georgia as a host of this world conference. It is a great honor for us. We perceive this as a significant recognition of the implemented reforms and institutional building in recent years. I thank everyone for their great efforts in holding the conference at a high level. On behalf of the Government of Georgia, I pledge that we will continue doing our best to deepen our cooperation with IAP. Thus, let me wish you successful and productive days ahead. Thank you!”, - concluded Irakli Garibashvili.

Participants of the conference were also greeted by Irakli Shotadze, General Prosecutor of Georgia and Cheol-Kyu Hwang, IAP President.

Event has gathered 300 prosecutors from 60 countries, criminal justice officials from the UN, EU, Council of Europe, US Department of Justice (DOJ), subject-matter professionals and experts. Georgia is hosting the IAP Annual Conference for the first time in the history of the country and Georgian prosecution.

IAP was established in 1995, consisting of 183 prosecution agencies from 177 countries.