NATO-Georgia conference on emerging security challenges to be held

TBILISI, July 7 (Itar-Tass) -- NATO and Georgia will co-host a two-day
conference on "Emerging Security Challenges" on July 7-8 in Tbilisi.
The purpose of the conference, which is supported by the NATO Science
for Peace and Security Programme, is to bring together experts, academia,
industry and policy makers from NATO and partner nations to discuss the
cross-cutting nature of emerging security challenges (cyber defence,
energy security and terrorism), identify measures to enhance the
prevention and resilience to emerging security risks, and propose relevant
research projects as part of the NATO Science for Peace and Security
Programme.
Both timely and topical, this event will contribute to enhancing our
understanding of these interrelated new challenges, underlining the
importance of cooperation in a rapidly evolving security environment, the
alliance said.
More than 100 experts and specialists from different countries - NATO
member and partner states - will discuss cyber protection, energy
security, the fight against terrorism, as well as measures to step up
prevention and increase resistance to emerging risks.
NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges,
Ambassador Gabor Iklody will attend the conference. Upon arrival in
Tbilisi, he said that NATO valued the development of relations with
Georgia and appreciated the fact that Georgia, which is taking an active
part in the work of the North Atlantic Alliance, had offered to host the
event.
The Georgian authorities attach great significance to the forum. Vice
Prime Minister and State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic
Integration Georgy Baramidze said, "Georgia has clear prospects for
admission to NATO".
"We have tool for developing successful cooperation with NATO and
carrying out reforms for compliance with NATO standards - it is the
national programme and the NATO-Georgia Commission," he said.
According to Baramidze, "It is very important to have direct contact
with the NATO Secretary-General's representative who deals specifically
with cyber protection and energy security."
Cooperation between Georgia and NATO started in the second half of the
1990s with the Partnership for Peace programme. At the NATO summit in
Prague in November 2002, Eduard Shevardnadze, president of Georgia at that
time, officially announced his country's desire to join NATO. Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili, who was elected in January 2004, continued
this policy. On January 5, 2008, a plebiscite was held in Georgia along
with an early presidential election, during which people were asked to
answer the following question: "Do you support Georgia's admission to
NATO?"
According to the Central Election Commission, 77 percent of people
voted for accession to NATO.