“It’s a great honour for me to address the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) at this moment of particular responsibility for my country, as Georgia assumes chairmanship of this distinguished body. We once again thank France for its leadership during the previous trimester and commend its efforts to promote dialogue,” Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili stated in Vienna, where the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation is being held under Georgia’s chairmanship.

According to Maka Botchorishvili, Georgia looks forward to closely cooperating with the United Kingdom as our partner in the Troika to ensure continuity and coherence in our collective work.

“The security situation across the OSCE area continues to be deeply concerning and demands our urgent attention. In particular, the war in Ukraine continues to significantly affect the security environment across the OSCE area. It underscores the urgent need to uphold and respect the principles on which this organisation is based.

We are witnessing a continuous erosion of the trust and predictability that underpin our shared security framework. The implementation of agreed commitments faces ongoing challenges. Risk reduction mechanisms are under strain, transparency and military predictability are at a low point, and opportunities for dialogue are too often limited by political or security constraints,” Maka Botchorishvili has said.

According to the Foreign Minister, new and evolving threats are emerging at an unprecedented pace.

“This includes the proliferation of advanced military technologies, the expansion of cyber operations with potential security consequences, and hybrid threats that blur the lines between conventional and unconventional forms of conflict.

The FSC must respond to these challenges not only by reinforcing existing commitments but also by fostering innovation, enhancing cooperation, and sharing best practices among the participating states.

In this context, Georgia firmly believes that restoring respect for agreed principles and rebuilding confidence among participating states must remain at the centre of our collective efforts,” the Minister has stated.

Speaking at the OSCE Forum in Vienna, the Georgian Foreign Minister announced that, in line with the Forum’s mandate and building on the work of previous chairmanships, Georgia will concentrate on several key priority areas within the framework of the security dialogue.

“The first security dialogue will be dedicated to strengthening compliance with the OSCE Code of Conduct on political and military aspects of security, including the exchange of best practices on national implementation mechanisms and measures that support its effective implementation.

The second security dialogue will address the impact of armed conflicts on women and girls. Armed conflicts continue to have a disproportionate and multidimensional effect on women and girls, while women also play an essential role in ensuring social resilience and contributing to peacebuilding and recovery efforts.

The third security dialogue will be devoted to conflict-related human rights violations under the Code of Conduct. It will seek to strengthen participating states’ understanding of their obligations, including through an examination of the interrelationship between international humanitarian law and international human rights law in armed conflict situations, as well as measures to ensure their effective implementation and compliance at the national level.

Across all three priority areas, Georgia will emphasise the importance of translating those commitments into practical implementation,” Maka Botchorishvili has stated.