Advancing the CBRN Safety and Security in Georgia

The sixth meeting of the Interagency Coordinating Council of Georgia for Combating Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Threats was held on December 1, 2022 to discuss the  implementation of activities planned in the CBRN Strategy and its National Action Plan.

"Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons remain one of the main challenges faced by the world today. The National Strategy and Action plan for combating Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats were developed to reduce and eventually eliminate these threats," said Aleksi Batiashvili, First Deputy Head of the State Security Service, Chair of the Interagency Coordination Council, in his opening remarks. He presented the achievements of a two-year long work and informed of the future steps to making Georgia a resilient country.       

The other speakers at the meeting included Evija Kotan, Head of Political, Press, and Information Section at the EU Delegation to Georgia; Bernard Dobner, Head of the Georgia Office of the US Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA); Irakli Beria, Chair of the Parliamentary Defense and Security Committee; Lela Chikovani,  First Deputy Minister of Defense; Tamar Gabunia, First Deputy Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia; Vladimir Konstantinidi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Apolon Kakabadze, Deputy Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture.

The event was organized by the  State Security Service with the support of the European Union’s CBRN Centre of Excellence. The Initiative is funded by the European Union and implemented by the jointly by the European Commission with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC).

The event brought together 60 key national stakeholders from ministries and other public entities of Georgia, and international organizations.

The next meeting will take place in 2023.