On April 20th in Tbilisi NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs James Appathurai spoke about NATO-Georgia cooperation in the field of cyber security and combating hybrid threats at a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Security.

At the beginning of the summit, the Chairman of the Committee, Irakli Beraia, welcomed the guest and spoke about his contribution to Georgia-NATO cooperation.

"James Appathurai is a long-time friend and supporter of Georgia, who has made a significant contribution to the deepening of Georgia-NATO partnership, progress in our country's Euro-Atlantic integration, and is also awarded the Golden Fleece Order by the President of Georgia. NATO integration is a civilisational choice based on the values ​​of the Georgian people, a top priority of our security and foreign policy. Georgia is an enhanced aspirant partner of NATO. [We possess] all the practical tools to join the Alliance and has never been so close to NATO as it is today. In the face of the threat of a rule-based international order, when the Russian Federation is waging one of the most brutal wars in the history of mankind against our strategic partner, a sovereign, European state, international security is of particular importance, especially expansion of the alliance and Georgia's integration into it," Irakli Beraia said.

The Committee Chairman welcomed the decision of the Bucharest Summit in 2008 and the Alliance's open door policy, noting that Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations are based on the unwavering will of the Georgian people and their adherence to the principles of the North Atlantic Treaty.

"We have strong expectations that these aspects will be properly reflected in the communiqué of the Madrid Summit and in the new strategic concept of NATO, and that Georgia's Euro-Atlantic perspective will be more specific. Critically important is the decision taken by the Allies in Brussels on 6-7 April 2022 to increase support for Georgia's resilience, which is, of course, another step forward in terms of partnership between Georgia and NATO. In addition to strengthening our defence capabilities, we attach great importance to enhancing our cooperation with the Alliance in the field of cyber security and the fight against hybrid threats. Georgia is involved in NATO's cyber security platform and also participates in the largest cyber security exercise. Cooperation in this area is particularly important as Georgia strengthens its national capacity to respond to both cyber security and hybrid threats in response to increased threats," said Irakli Beraia, adding that the visions and information provided by Appathurai on how NATO-Georgia cooperation is developing are important to the official Tbilisi.

The meeting of James Appathurai and the committee continued in closed format. According to the Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO, he is in Georgia within the framework of the decision of the governments of NATO countries, which displays the Alliance’s support of Georgia. According to him, the Ukraine-Russia war has completely changed the security architecture in the region and the alliance is taking important measures to support its closest partner - Ukraine.

"We are doing our utmost to support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia to stop this war. We are doing our best to isolate Russia diplomatically. NATO countries have decided that we need to do more to support our immediate partners, including Georgia. That's why I'm here to discuss the areas of cybersecurity and hybrid security, energy security. In terms of energy security, Georgia's role in supplying Europe is becoming even more important against the background of European countries cutting off energy supplies from Russia. I think it is important to consider here how Georgia can better ensure the security of its energy infrastructure against cyber-attacks and physical attacks," said Appathurai.