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<img src="/images/header.gif" alt="Center for Strageic Decision Research: Celebrating over 25 years of international dialogue. International workshop on global security." width="618" height="99" style="padding:20px 10px;" />
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<p align="center" class="style17">Table of Contents<br>
25th International Workshop - Rome '08</p>
<p align="center" class="style17">
<a href="/2008book/weissinger-preface.html">Preface- Dr. Roger<br>Weissinger-Baylon<br>Workshop Chairman<br></a>
<a href="/2008book/weissinger-overview.html">Workshop Chairman's Overview - Dr. Roger Weissinger-Baylon</a>
<a href="/2008book/joulwan.html">Opening Dinner Debate - <br>General George Joulwan<br>Former SACEUR</a>
<p>
<p align="center" class="style17">Part One<p>
<p align="center" class="style17">
<a href="/2008book/la-russa.html">Italian Defense Minister<br />
Ignazio La Russa
</a>
<a href="/2008book/browne.html">British Defense Minister<br />
The Rt Hon Des Browne
</a>
<a href="/2008book/gonul.html">Turkish Defense Minister<br />
Vecdi G�n�l
</a>
<a href="/2008book/di-paola.html">NATO Military Committee Chairman<br />
Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola
</a>
<a href="/2008book/zappata.html">Admiral Luciano Zappata<br />
Dep Supreme Allied
Commander Transformation
</a>
<a href="/2008book/camporini.html">Italian Chief of Defense<br />
General Vincenzo Camporini
</a>
<a href="/2008book/zappa.html">Alenia Aeronautica Chairman<br />
Dr. Giorgio Zappa
</a>
<br>Part Two<br>
<p align="center" class="style17">
<a href="/2008book/baramidze.html">Georgian Vice Prime Minister<br />
Giorgi Baramidze
</a>
<a href="/2008book/chizhov.html">Russian Amb to EU<br />
Vladimir Chizhov
</a>
<br>Part Three<br>
<p align="center" class="style17">
<a href="/2008book/eldon.html">British Amb to NATO<br />
Stewart Eldon
</a>
<a href="/2008book/akram.html">Pakistan's Amb to U.N.<br />
Munir Akram
</a>
<a href="/2008book/de-la-sabliere.html">French Amb to Italy<br />
Jean-Marc de la Sabli�re
</a>
<a href="/2008book/tkeshelashvili.html">Georgian Foreign Minister<br />
Eka Tkeshelashvili
</a>
<a href="/2008book/stefanini.html">Italian Amb to NATO<br />
Stefano Stefanini
</a>
<a href="/2008book/buzhinsky.html">Lt Gen Evgeniy Buzhinsky<br />
Russian Min of Defense
</a>
<a href="/2008book/winid.html">Polish Amb to NATO<br />
Boguslaw Winid
</a>
<br>Part Four<br>
<p align="center" class="style17">
<a href="/2008book/tegnelia.html">DTRA Director<br />
Dr. James Tegnelia
</a>
<a href="/2008book/rood.html">U.S. Under Sec of State<br />
John Rood
</a>
<a href="/2008book/joseph.html">Former Under Sec of State<br />
Amb Robert Joseph</a>
<a href="/2008book/berdennikov.html">Russian Amb-at-large<br />
Grigory V. Berdennikov
</a>
<a href="/2008book/benkert.html">U.S. Asst Sec of Defense<br />
Joseph Benkert
</a>
<a href="/2008book/flory.html">NATO Asst Sec Gen<br />
Peter Flory
</a>
<a href="/2008book/sedivy.html">NATO Asst Sec Gen<br />
Jiri Sedivy
</a>
<a href="/2008book/pfirter.html">OPCW Dir Gen<br />
Amb Rogelio Pfirter
</a>
<br>Part Five<br>
<p align="center" class="style17">
<a href="/2008book/lather.html">SHAPE Chief of Staff<br />
General Karl-Heinz Lather
</a>
<a href="/2008book/fitzgerald.html">Admiral Mark. P. Fitzgerald
<br />
Allied Joint Force Command Naples
</a>
<a href="/2008book/ildem.html">Turkish Amb to NATO<br />
Tacan Ildem
</a>
<a href="/2008book/schuwirth.html">Fmr SHAPE Chief of Staff<br />
General Rainer Schuwirth
</a>
<a href="/2008book/acosta.html">Global Impact CEO<br />
Ms. Renee Acosta
</a>
<a href="/2008book/soligan.html">Lt Gen James Soligan<br />
Allied Command-Transformation
</a>
<a href="/2008book/bagnall.html">Former UK Vice Chief of Defense Staff<br />
ACM Sir Anthony Bagnall
</a>
<br>Part Six
<p align="center" class="style17">
<a href="/2008book/volkman.html">U.S. Dir of Internat. Coop.<br />
Alfred Volkman
</a>
<a href="/2008book/tozzi.html">Major General Claudio Tozzi<br />
Italian Defense Ministry
</a>
<a href="/2008book/homberg.html">EADS Senior Vice Pres<br />
Thomas Homberg
</a>
<a href="/2008book/shephard.html">Northrop Grumman VP<br />
Mr. Timothy Shephard
</a>
<a href="/2008book/buckley.html">Thales Senior VP<br />
Dr. Edgar Buckley
</a>
<a href="/2008book/harris.html">Lockheed Martin Global Pres.<br />
Dr. Scott A. Harris
</a>
<a href="/2008book/schneider.html">AFCEA CEO<br />
Kent Schneider
</a>
<a href="/2008book/patterson.html">Mr. David Patterson<br />
Univ of Tennessee
</a>
<p align="center" class="style17">Part Seven
<p align="center" class="style17" style="margin-bottom: 0;">
<a href="/2008book/grimes.html">U.S. Asst Sec of Def<br />
Hon. John G. Grimes
</a>
<a href="/2008book/lentz.html">U.S. Dep Asst Sec of Def<br />
Robert Lentz
</a>
<a href="/2008book/aaviksoo.html">Estonian Defense Minister<br />
Jaak Aaviksoo
</a>
<a href="/2008book/bloechl.html">Microsoft, Managing Dir.<br />
Tim Bloechl
</a>
<a href="/2008book/wolf.html">Lt Gen Ulrich Wolf<br />
NATO CIS Service Agency Dir
</a>
<a href="/2008book/monteforte.html">Italian Milrep to NATO<br />
Vice Adm Ferdinando Sanfelice di Monteforte
</a>
<a href="/2008book/lintonen.html">Finnish Amb to UN<br />
Kirsti Lintonen
</a>
<a href="/2008book/silvestri.html">Dr. Stefano Silvestri<br />
Istituto Affari Internazionali
</a>
<a href="/2008book/yousfi.html">Algerian Amb to UN<br />
Youcef Yousfi
</a>
<a href="/2008book/karem.html">Egyptian Amb to EU<br />
Mahmoud Karem
</a>
<a href="/2008book/tarasyuk.html">Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister<br />
Borys Tarasyuk
</a>
</div>
</div>
<div id="content">
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<h2 class="workshop_year">Rome '08 Workshop</h2>
<!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="Main Content" -->
<h1>
Georgia's Role in Euro-Atlantic Security </h1>
<h2 style="margin-bottom: 0;">
His Excellency Giorgi Baramidze</h2>
<h2 style="margin-top: 0;">Georgian Vice Prime Minister </h2>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0;"></p>
<p align="center" style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0;"><img src="images/baramidze.jpg" alt="His Excellency Giorgi Baramidze" width="114" height="139"></p>
<p style="margin-top: 0;">
I would like to use this opportunity to speak very openly in this very
frank and open atmosphere to provoke a frank discussion. As our distinguished
Turkish Minister of Defense said, I would like to speak about the pain
in one of our body’s organs, a country that suffers from the challenges
and problems, some of them objective, some of them artificially created,
that we face today. </p>
<h2>THE EFFECTS OF RUSSIAN FOREIGN POLICY ON GEORGIA </h2>
<p>
It is difficult not to agree with the theme of our workshop: “Global Security
in Crisis, the Urgent Need to Find Strategies That Work.” Georgia today
represents one of the challenges of global security, and unfortunately
is on the front line of these crises. Russia’s recent foreign policy has
adversely affected Georgia, but its policy goes far beyond our country.
It is not simply aiming at annexing our territory, an unacceptable act
in the 21<SUP>st</SUP> century, and at depriving Georgia of its democratic development
and Euro-Atlantic integration. It is challenging the entire civilized international
community, targeting the division of Europe, the defeat of democratic values,
and the realization of imperialistic ambitions. </p>
<p>
It must be understood that the West’s appeasement policy does not work.
The only way to reverse the Kremlin’s extremely dangerous venture, which
includes blackmailing, confrontation, provocation, and bullying, is a clear,
united, firm, and active response from the European Union and the United
States. Once Russia realizes that its aggressive policy will not be tolerated,
it will become more pragmatic, therefore more constructive. </p>
<h2>RUSSIAN ACTIONS AGAINST GEORGIA </h2>
<p>
In the spring of 2008, Russia conducted a series of increasingly hostile
and illegal acts against Georgia. It has long maintained low-grade conflicts
on our territory through the support of separatist rebels who conducted
ethnic cleansing in the early 1990s, something that was recognized by the
OSCE three times and by the United Nations. </p>
<p>
However Russia’s goal clearly shifted after the NATO Summit in Bucharest.
Despite agreement of the member-states to grant Georgia and Ukraine membership
at some point in the future, the Russian Federation wrongfully interpreted
NATO’s refraining from giving Membership Action Plans to our countries
as a sign of success of its blackmailing policy. It then used the time
before the December ministerial as a window of opportunity to reinforce
this success by shifting to a bluntly offensive strategy in Abkhazia Georgia,
unambiguously aiming at de facto annexation of these Georgian territories. </p>
<p>
If allowed to go further, Russia would redraw the map of Eastern Europe
and risk an armed conflict. Rather than fulfill its role as a peacekeeper
and a mediator in Abkhazia Georgia, Russia has become a party to the conflict.
Withdrawing from the 1996 CIS embargo that banned weapons transfer to the
separatist rebels in March; extending legal recognition to Georgia’s separatist
territories with the April 16 presidential decree; shooting down in Georgian
air space an unmanned and unarmed surveillance drone of the Ministry of
Internal affairs of Georgia on April 20, which was confirmed by UNOMIG;
and introducing the Russian Ministry of Defense’s so-called railroad troops
in May all offer clear evidence of Russia’s intentions. </p>
<p>
Russia no longer even pretends to be performing peacekeeping duties. Instead,
its new operation is of a clear military nature. Managed by the Russian
defense ministry, the operation aims to enable large-scale military movements
by reinforcing Russia’s military infrastructure in Abkhazia Georgia. Unfortunately,
Russia’s actions have virtually eliminated the prospects of a peaceful
conflict-resolution process, since they feed the separatists’ sentiments
and ambitions. The more aggressive Russia has become in Abkhazia, the more
rigid the separatist rebels are. </p>
<h2>GEORGIA’S HOPE FOR A RUSSIA-GEORGIA PARTNERSHIP </h2>
<p>
Georgia long has sought to constructively engage Russia in remaining an
important partner for Georgia. But in 16 years, these efforts have failed
to deliver any meaningful progress. Our government was hopeful that President
Medvedev would introduce a new spirit into the relationship. However, within
days of assuming office, he was responsible for policies that sharply escalated
the tensions in Abkhazia Georgia, including an introduction of the so-called
railway troops. Nevertheless, Georgia remained hopeful that the St. Petersburg
meeting would allow us to overcome this deadlock. Again, however, President
Medvedev refused to pledge to refrain from acts that clearly undermine
Georgia’s sovereignty. On the contrary, after the meeting, Russia’s defense
ministry cynically announced it would keep the railroad troops in place
for at least two more months until their work was done. </p>
<p>
Georgia has responded with restraint to Russia’s provocations, and has
consistently thought to act in consensus with the international community.
In accordance with its unambiguous legal right, the government of Georgia
is offering a very clear alternative that can constructively lead to a
final resolution: a joint international effort to finally establish viable
peacekeeping and negotiating formats in order to resolve the conflict on
its territories within a reasonable time frame and in an appropriate contemporary
manner. Security on the ground and mediation at the negotiating table must
be ensured by the international community. A non-military police operation
in Abkhazia Georgia will create a solid basis for peaceful conflict resolution.
However, Georgia remains open to alternative international arrangements
if agreed upon during consultations. </p>
<h2>WORKING WITH THE EURO-ATLANTIC COMMUNITY </h2>
<p>
In any new peacekeeping format, Georgia will seek to retain and reinforce
the role of the United Nations. In addition, we strongly believe that Russia
should be an active and constructive part of this process if it so chooses.
The government of Georgia will continue to vigorously pursue a direct dialogue
with the Abkhaz separatists in order to reach a consensus on how best to
settle the conflict within the internationally recognized borders of Georgia.
As per our President Saakashvili’s peace plan, any settlement would be
internationally guaranteed to provide as wide autonomy as possible for
Abkhazia and to ensure the reintegration of the Abkhaz community into the
unified Georgian state. </p>
<p>
Finally, aggression against Georgia is a logical link in the chain, and
we must not be blind to it: the murder of Litvinenko in the heart of London,
the imposition of an economic embargo on Poland, the cyber-attack against
Estonia, President Putin’s speech in Munich and his statement in the NATO-Russia
Council about Ukraine’s statehood, energy blackmailing of the West, and
so on. The Euro-Atlantic community is capable of preventing further developments
like these, but to do so it is necessary to develop a common constructive
strategy. Now is the moment of truth—no matter how difficult it might be,
we need to demonstrate how united and effective we can be in resolving
global security challenges and defending our common values and principles. </p>
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