On May 30, three organizations - Civic Idea, Democracy Research Institute (DRI) and Democracy Index - Georgia held a Conference on New Security Architecture in Europe and Its Impact on Georgia.

 

The conference was opened by Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia, and Carl Hartzell, Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia. The event was attended by representatives of political parties, heads of embassies and international organizations accredited in Georgia, representatives of civil sector and academia.

 

The aim of the conference was to analyze the consequences of the ongoing war in Ukraine and national security challenges, and to discuss the essence of European integration and the prospect of EU membership status.

Russia's war against Ukraine has united almost the entire civilized world and opened a door to completely new security systems implying a completely different vision and opportunities for integration and cooperation. Georgia, which is a victim of Russian aggression, is in the center of this new regional and international agenda.

 

Although the EU questionnaire is very important for Georgia, it is only one part of this changed dynamic. The purpose of the discussion was to discover, analyze and discuss the main essence of European integration beyond formal procedures.

 

After completing the questionnaire and sending it to Brussels, it is necessary to ask why we aspire to EU membership and how we should change the differences between Georgia described on the paper and the reality.

 

Panel discussion topics:

 

Andrius Kalindra, Ambassador of Lithuania to Georgia; Davit Usupashvili, Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia (2012-2016); Sergi Kapanadze, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia (2016-2020).

Moderator: Nino Gelashvili, Radio Liberty.

 

Mark Clayton, British Ambassador to Georgia; Tengiz Pkhaladze, Associate Professor of GIPA; Tinatin Khidasheli, Minister of Defence (2015-2016); Ivliane Khaindrava, Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council (2014-2018); Kakhaber Kemoklidze, Head of the Office of the National Security Council (2019-2021).

Moderator: Eka Tsimakuridze, DIG

 

Andriy Kasyanov, Chargé d'Affaires of Ukraine in Georgia; Maka Bochorishvili, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration (Georgian Dream); Tamar Khulordava, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration (2016-2019); Vano Chkhikvadze, European Integration Programme Manager at Open Society Foundation; Kakha Gogolashvili, Director of the Centre of EU Studies at GFSIS; Levan Dolidze, Ambassador of Georgia to NATO (2013-2014).

Moderator: Tamar Khidasheli, DRI