Today the Parliament heard the Minister of Defense, Juansher Burchuladze, within the format of Ministerial Hour, reporting on country's geopolitical challenges and security priorities, ongoing reforms in the agency and the process of transformation of the Defense Forces.

As the Minister of Defense noted, the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation significantly undermine the global security architecture and our country has to set its own security priorities in the face of complex geopolitical challenges - "Its policies in the Black Sea region, its growing militarization, its demonstration of readiness for the employment of military forces are aimed at restricting Western interests and undermining stability and peace. Continuation of this policy is the occupation of Georgian territories and its militarization, thus affecting our country's development and Euro-Atlantic integration”.

According to the Minister, in the light of the existing challenges, it is especially important to consolidate the society and unite around common security goals - "Coordinated action, maximum public involvement and effective use of available resources can increase the duration of the response to military aggression and limit the ability of the enemy to intervene. That is why our defense policy is based on the principle of total defense, which means strengthening and consolidating military and civil defense and international cooperation”.

As the rapporteur remarked, the success and prosperity of the modern state is impossible without ensuring security - "The Defense Forces are the most important institution for the protection of sovereignty and freedom. Its strength and efficiency are based on a highly trained and motivated soldier, and we are proud to have the decent and professional defense force who are ready to stand wherever the country needs”.

J. Burchuladze dwelt on the important steps taken to strengthen the capabilities of the Defense Forces, including the importance of purchasing effective means against armored and mechanized infantry divisions.

According to him, a new enterprise will be launched in the territory of "Delta" at the end of the year, which will start producing M4 Carbines (is a 5.56×45mm NATO, air-cooled, gas-operated, direct impingement, magazine-fed, select-fire carbine).

Expanding on the close relations between Georgia and NATO, the Minister noted that the construction of the Cyber Security Operations Center will be completed this year with the support of NATO - "Intelligence and cyber defense capabilities are being strengthened to meet modern hybrid challenges. As you know, Georgia is already the second non-NATO country of the multinational platform for the exchange of information on NATO malware. Also, with the support of international partners, the construction of a cybersecurity operations center is already underway, which will be completed this year. The introduction of intelligence capabilities and technologies is actively pursued. Besides, work is underway to ensure the exchange of intelligence information with NATO Headquarters within the framework of NATO-Georgia cooperation. The process of staffing with modern equipment continues in order to develop intelligence capabilities”.

As he noted, Georgia holds all the necessary practical mechanisms for NATO membership. During the transition of the Georgian Defense Forces to NATO standards, the Minister of Defense informed the legislators about the scheduled novelties in the agency.

J. Burchuladze also dwelt on the support of Georgia from the North Atlantic Alliance and cited the visit of the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee to Georgia as an example.

At the same time, as the Minister noted, today the US-Georgia relations are at an unprecedented high level.

J. Burchuladze also spoke about the fulfillment of the tasks defined by the current 3-year strategic cooperation framework with the US.

In terms of international cooperation, J. Burchuladze focused on deepening bilateral relations with the European Union, Great Britain, France, Germany, the Baltics, and Scandinavia, as well as the countries of the Black Sea region.

The Minister also stressed the strategic partnership with Turkey, which provides significant financial and technical assistance to the Georgian Defense Forces.

The Minister of Defense thanked the Georgian peacekeepers for their service in the mission in Afghanistan and elucidated that the NATO mission in Afghanistan will be completed in 2021, and the return of Georgian troops will be coordinated with NATO and the United States - "I would like to especially welcome our peacekeepers in Afghanistan and the African continent who are committed to global peace. As you know, in 2021 the NATO mission in Afghanistan will end, leaving us proud of Georgian soldiers. In this regard, we are holding close consultations with both NATO and the United States, and the return of Defense Forces units from Afghanistan to Georgia will be coordinated with them. I would like to thank each military serviceman for their service to the Afghan mission. We pay special tribute to our heroic soldiers who died in the mission in Afghanistan, who sacrificed their lives to strengthen global peace and security. We will continue to actively work with our partners to strengthen national and global security”.

According to the Minister, the defense policy is based on the following key priorities - strengthening defense capabilities, institutional development, international cooperation, and care for our military.

In the process of implementing the priorities, the Department of Defense relies on the long-term and systematic approaches set out in the agency's conceptual documents - "These documents formulate systemic visions for the development of defense capabilities. We have a ten-year plan for capacity building of the Defense Forces, which addresses the following priorities: strengthen armor, air defense, artillery, reconnaissance, aviation, engineering, transport, and logistics capabilities. Also, this year we have approved the 'Strategic Defense Review 2021-2025' and the annual 'Ministerial Directives', which set out separate measures to achieve the objectives in the medium and short term”.

The Minister of Defense answered the questions.

The Deputy Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee, Vladimer Chachibaia, and the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Nikoloz Samulukharadze expressed their positions on the report submitted by the Minister.

On behalf of the majority, Irakli Beraia, Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee thanked the Minister for the best and most fruitful cooperation and wished success to the defense forces as a whole in carrying out important and ambitious reforms.

"I would like to emphasize once again that with the involvement of the whole society, we can achieve the great goal that can become the idea of the Georgian nation”, - the Defense Minister noted in his closing remarks.

The Speaker Kakha Kutchava thanked the Minister of Defense for an interesting report and wished success to the Minister and his team - "We are really proud to see the progress and heroism of our Georgian soldiers, which is truly exemplary around the world. I want to wish the Georgian soldiers well in serving the interests of our country”.