History of Georgia Defence and Security Conference
Over the years, the Georgia Defense and Security Conference has proved itself to be a unique international forum in the South Caucasus region to address the issues pertaining to Euro-Atlantic Security and stability with participation of high-rank politicians, experts, NGOs, civil society, media and academic circles. The objectives of the conference include sharing of the best practice and enhancement of opportunities for cooperation in defence and security sphere.
At the initiative of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia and the Civil Council on Defense and Security (CCDS) the first conference was held in Gudauri, in 2005. The representatives of the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs, NGOs, diplomatic missions of NATO countries and foreign experts took part in the conference. Firstly, the conference was mostly focused on defence issues and was named the Georgia Defence Conference (GDC). Later, the conference became a tradition and was held annually. With the active support of the Georgian government and partner organizations the event has become more representative and large-scaled. Since 2012, the conference has been called “Georgia Defence and Security Conference”. The event gathers the high-rank officials and experts from various countries in order to discuss the existing trends and find ways to overcome security challenges at the regional as well as at the international level.
In 2016 the Georgian Defence Ministry hosts the 10th Georgia Defence and Security Conference.
The aim of the conference is to discuss the global security challenges, the Black Sea role in the current geopolitical processes, and importance of the region in providing the European security, as well as to show the challenges and prospects of small nations living in the turbulent geopolitical environment.