At the invitation of the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO), the Chairman of Geocase, Victor Kipiani delivered a virtual lecture on Georgian foreign and security policies to the Latvian students.
 

Sigita Struberga, the Secretary-General at the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO), moderated the event.
 

During his presentation, Victor Kipiani briefly overviewed Georgia’s foreign policy priorities, current developments, and some geopolitical trends' impact on Georgian politics. He once again emphasized that the Euro-Atlantic integration remains the main pillar of Georgia’s foreign policy and this is clearly declared by the Georgian constitution.
 

He discussed the progress Georgia has made on its path to European integration as well as he mentioned the disappointment caused by not granting the country the European Union membership candidate status, all the more because, according to him, Georgia has been doing much better than Moldova and no lesser than Ukraine based on the number of surveys, reports and assessments. “Now we are pursuing the second try which seems to be very successful. The assessment of the progress of sectoral reforms by the European Commission gives us a ground of cautious optimism that Georgia would also be granted a candidate status.” – noted Victor Kipiani.
 

He mentioned, that the European Union has become more vocal regarding Georgia and that has already been reflected in the major projects which would be engaging Georgia and other countries of the region.
 

The Black Sea submarine electricity cable project, the Middle Corridor and the Anaklia Deep Water Port project will have a significant influence in terms of the geopolitical, economic and security landscape in the whole region. These projects will also have an enormous impact on the economies of Georgia, Azerbaijan and the Central Asian countries.
 

He also discussed the current development in the South Caucasus, touched on Georgia's Peaceful Neighbourhood Initiative and stressed Georgia’s role in contributing to the world’s peace and stability.
 

When speaking about Georgia’s security position, Victor Kipiani mentioned the strategic partnership with the United States of America based on the Charter on Strategic Partnership and Georgia’s Support Act which provide different ways to support Georgian democracy, stability and security. “We are expecting that the role of the United States will increase in the black Sea region in a near future. We recognize that the US is not a black sea nation but it could well become a Black Sea power,” said Kipiani.
 

“We are appealing to our NATO colleagues, in the context of the war in Ukraine, to introduce better recourses to infuse more into the security of the Black Sea in terms of economy, defense and political actions. “ – Victor Kipiani added.
 

The lecture was followed by the Q&A session in which students took active participation and got detailed answers to their questions.

Watch the lecture recording