Page 34 - GEORptJun22

Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova sign joint declaration committing to EU integration
Georgia signs MoU with US on 5G security
The leaders of Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova signed a declaration on July 20 in Georgia's Batumi committing to EU integration.
This comes amid a growing rift between the EU and Georgia over recent political developments, with tensions high over the ongoing government response to extremists who violently forced the cancellation of the Tbilisi Pride event.
The presidents of Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, Salome Zurabishvili, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Maia Sandu, respectively, signed in the presence of European Council President Charles Michel a trilateral cooperation declaration on European integration, in which the heads of state pledge to work together for a “peaceful, democratic and prosperous European future” for the three nations.
It reaffirms an “unwavering commitment to advance further the process of our integration into the European Union through comprehensive reforms to strengthen our democratic institutions, and to progressively approximate our legislation in the relevant sectors with key elements of the EU acquis.” Pledging to make full use of the Association Agreements, the three signatories vow to work to identify concrete priorities in the areas of common interest to enhance political dialogue and advance on economic and sectoral integration with the EU, in particular in the areas of transport, energy, digital transformation, green economy, justice and home affairs, strategic communications and health care.
The three countries also pledge to cooperate with the European Union on common security and defence policy (CSDP), including on countering hybrid threats, strengthening cyber resilience, fighting disinformation, developing cooperation platforms with the EU’s relevant agencies and services, and to participate in CSDP missions and operations and bring contribution to the EU’s efforts towards peace in the world.
Touching upon the Black Sea security, the three states pledge to engage with Black Sea partners in order to “jointly promote the sustainable development of the region, as well as make full use of the opportunities that the Black Sea provides for wider and secure connectivity between Europe and Asia.”
Georgia and the US have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on strengthening cooperation in fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications networks.
At the core of the MoU is a set of agreed good practices that the two sides should implement in the development of their 5G networks with a view to avoiding security risks. More specifically, the good practices are broadly interpreted as a way of banning Huawei and other companies controlled by Chinese government, defined as “malign actors”, and providing the necessary technology used by telecom operators to develop their 5G networks.
The US and Georgia emphasised a statement from the Prague 5G Security Conference – framing the “Prague Proposals” – as an important step towards developing a common approach to 5G network security, and ensuring a secure, resilient, and trustworthy 5G ecosystem. The Prague Proposals stress the need to develop, deploy, and commercialise 5G networks based on free and fair competition, transparency and the rule of law.
More specifically, under the MoU, Georgia agrees that in order to promote a vibrant and robust 5G ecosystem, “a rigorous evaluation of suppliers [of 5G hardware and software] should take into account the rule of law; the security environment; ethical supplier practices; and a supplier’s compliance with secure standards and industry best practices.”
34 GEORGIA Country Report June 2022 www.intellinews.com