International Conference Raisina Dialogue

A panel discussion on “Competition and Cooperation for a Sustainable Future” was held as part of the high-level international conference, Raisina Dialogue. Raisina Dialogue is a high-level international conference organized by the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the influential analytical research organization, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), which is held annually in New Delhi. Raisina Dialogue was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. The panel discussion was attended by leading political figures from many countries around the world, including: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia Tanja Fajon, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Arab Republic of Egypt Hassan El Khatib, National Security Advisor of the United Kingdom Jonathan Powell, Foreign Secretary of India Vikram Misri, Co-Founder and Chairman of Infosys Nandan Nilekani, and Managing Director of DP World Rizwan Sumar. The discussion was moderated by Samir Saran, President of the Observer Research Foundation.

Here is an excerpt from the speech of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Maka Bochorishvili at the panel discussion.

"Georgia may be too small country to determine geopolitical processes, but it is located where geopolitical interests intersect, which creates new opportunities. To effectively use these opportunities, sufficient wisdom and foresight are needed. First of all, it is important to note the challenges that Georgia has to deal with in the current geopolitical environment, as well as the opportunities that its strategic location offers. For centuries, Georgia has served as a bridge connecting East and West. Since the time of the Silk Road, our country has played an important role in ensuring the connection between East and West. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, from the very first days of independence, Georgia began to think again about how to restore and strengthen this historical role in the modern world."

According to Bochorishvili, thanks to close cooperation with Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as the support of strategic partners, many important projects have been implemented. "Decades later, these projects still remain relevant, as they have enormous potential in terms of strengthening common European security. These projects are of particular importance when it comes to connectivity in areas such as energy, transport and others," Maka Bochorishvili noted.

"For a long time, Georgia has been constantly trying to turn the Black Sea into a bridge connecting with the European Union, and not a dividing barrier. Today, we have real opportunities to achieve this goal, but this requires active work and investments. Together, we can implement large-scale projects that will benefit the European Union, Europe. We consider ourselves part of Europe, and therefore European security issues directly concern us. In this context, it is important to take into account the enormous potential that exists in the Eastern direction and that will benefit the entire European region. The Middle Corridor opens up enormous opportunities for us, and its development is one of our priorities. We are ready to invest in infrastructure projects and fully utilize the potential that these projects offer to Georgia. The Black Sea-Caspian Sea energy and transport connectivity, numerous projects that can be implemented or are already being implemented with Georgia's involvement, will bring significant benefits to our small region," the Foreign Minister said.

“Especially, two extremely important factors should be highlighted: peace and security. I am talking about a small but very dynamic region - the South Caucasus. Georgia has always supported and facilitated the efforts of its neighbors - Armenia and Azerbaijan - and we are glad that they have found a way to peace and announced a peace agreement, which is extremely important for the entire region. However, two regions of Georgia are still occupied by Russia, and this poses a serious threat to our region. For me, as a Georgian diplomat, it has long been a difficult task to explain, on the one hand, the threats of the Russian occupation, and on the other, the enormous opportunities that exist. This remains a difficult task, because the occupation continues and security challenges still remain. However, we must respond to these challenges, and our response should be economic development, the right reforms. Georgia occupies leading positions in global rankings in terms of doing business, openness "In the areas of governance, the fight against corruption. These achievements have become possible as a result of the consistent reforms carried out by the government, especially over the last ten years. This is how we confront the security challenges in our region," the Minister of Foreign Affairs said.

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