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Past Event

Gela Bezhuashvili, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia

Georgia in the International Arena: Rising Responsibilities, Rising Challenges

Russia, Europe

Event Summary

We are no longer accepting RSVPs for this event. A text transcript will be available afterward. Thank you.

Event Information

When

Monday, September 10, 2007
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM

Where

Choate Room
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Map

Contact: Brookings Office of Communications

E-mail: events@brookings.edu

Phone: 202.797.6105

On September 10, the Brookings Institution will host H.E. Gela Bezhuashvili, minister of foreign affairs of Georgia, for a discussion of domestic and foreign policy developments in Georgia. The session will provide an opportunity to explore Georgia's relations with the U.S.; its democratic transformation; prospects for furthering its integration into the Euro-Atlantic community; diplomacy with Russia; and regional issues.

Minister Bezhuashvili's career in public service began in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he served as Envoy Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of Georgia to the Republic of Kazakhstan (1993-1996) and as Director of the Ministry's International Legal Department (1997-2000). He was appointed Deputy Defense Minister of Georgia in 2000. In 2004 he became the first civilian Defense Minister of Georgia. From 2004-2005 he served as Assistant to the President of Georgia on National Security Issues and Secretary of the National Security Council.

Brookings President Strobe Talbott will introduce Foreign Minister Bezhuashvili. Daniel Benjamin, senior fellow and director of the Center on the United States and Europe, will moderate a question and answer session at the conclusion of his remarks.

Transcript

GELA BEZHUASHVILI: So let me focus on irreversibility, the key to lasting security. That is how we put it. As I hinted before, the question before us is the irreversibility of the process. In my opinion, irreversibility is the fundamental challenge facing our region. In terms of policy challenges, it is also the fundamental question facing the U.S. and Europe.

If you take this issue and turn it on its head for a moment and ask, for example, why are we seeing a resurgent Russia or one that appears to be launching repeated provocations, one that appears to be less than enthusiastic about solving regional conflicts on its borders, and one that appears to feel threatened by enhanced regional cooperation or democratic transformations that are taking place around Russia, one reason is because it believes that what has been achieved can in fact be reversed, and this is a key issue to understand why we are as many of our colleagues put it in a hurry. Why are you so jumpy? Why are you in a hurry, Georgians? Why are you pushing that door so vigorously and aggressively? My answer would be because we are in a hurry because we need to be in a hurry because irreversibility is under threat and we need to ensure that irreversibility and then sustainability of the process is ensured by integration. Integration is the key to ensure irreversibility and sustainability.

Participants

Featured Speaker

Gela Bezhuashvili

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Georgia

Introductory Remarks

Strobe Talbott

President, The Brookings Institution

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