Over the past few years, we have witnessed numerous attempts to polarize our society and undermine democratic institutions under various pretexts - Maka Bochorishvili

At the invitation of the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Georgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maka Bochorishvili participated in the Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism held in Washington, where she addressed the audience.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia reported this.

According to the ministry, in her speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that placing the issue of political terrorism on the international agenda is particularly important in light of modern security challenges.

“This discussion is particularly timely, as we face complex and ever-changing challenges that directly impact our national interests, sovereignty, and security. Around the world, radical groups operate under various ideologies, including, often, in the name of democracy. However, their goal is not to strengthen democratic institutions, but to weaken them,” said Maka Bochorishvili.

According to the Minister, Georgia is a vivid example of these challenges, and in recent years, numerous attempts have been made to weaken democratic institutions.

“Over the past few years, we have witnessed numerous attempts to polarize our society and undermine democratic institutions under various pretexts. We have seen coordinated campaigns aimed at discrediting state institutions, including the judiciary, the electoral system, and other constitutional bodies. We have also witnessed radical groups attempting to use acts of violence and sabotage as political instruments,” the Vice Prime Minister said.

Maka Bochorishvili also noted that the use of international institutions for political purposes harms both relations between states and the authority of international organizations themselves.

“No less worrying is the use of international institutions to legitimize such actions through resolutions and other mechanisms that aim to exert political pressure on sovereign states and at the same time tarnish the reputation and credibility of these institutions,” the minister noted.

According to him, political terrorism often manifests itself in imperceptible forms and the fight against it is a common challenge for democratic states.

“This should concern all of us, because political terrorism does not always manifest itself in a visible form. It can manifest itself through intimidation, political violence and attempts to systematically weaken democratic institutions. This is a challenge for all democracies that are committed to protecting their institutions, sovereignty and the will of their people,” Maka Bochorishvili said.