Today in Batumi, a regional interministerial seminar titled “Port Security and the Fight Against Drug Trafficking from the Black Sea to the European Union” is being held, organized by the Embassy of France.
Participants include law-enforcement representatives from 13 European countries, as well as customs services and private-sector representatives.
According to the French Embassy, with approximately 75% of the EU’s external trade and 31% of its internal trade passing through them, ports promote prosperity between the EU and third countries, yet they remain particularly vulnerable to criminal threats. Maritime transport is one of the main vectors used by organized criminal groups, especially in drug trafficking.
The necessity of holding this seminar was underscored by Olivier Courtois, the Ambassador of France to Georgia.
“Batumi is hosting a seminar on the fight against drug trafficking.
This is an extremely important, priority issue for the French government. President Emmanuel Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot have assigned it the highest level of importance.
We must understand how great a threat this poses to our societies, to our democracies, and to the rule of law. Enormous amounts of cash and a massive flow of drugs are entering our societies and destroying our youth. That is why we have placed this issue above all else.
This is a global initiative with two important dimensions.
The first dimension: this is a team effort. No country can tackle this alone. That is why collective action is absolutely crucial, and why it is important to hold such seminars and conferences with the participation of regional security professionals.
The second dimension: this is a specific and highly important zone. And it’s not only about drugs.
The South Caucasus has always been a crossroads of civilizations both in the best sense and the worst. It is very important for us that all regional actors remain engaged in combating drug trafficking in this area.
We are looking at the Black Sea, at the enormous and growing connectivity with the South Caucasus, and at the need to anticipate the flow of drugs into Europe.
As the Deputy Minister mentioned, Georgia is not a drug-producing country, but a transit country. That is precisely why we value cooperation in this field,” said Olivier Courtois, the Ambassador of France to Georgia.
As stated in the release issued by the French Embassy in Georgia, the seminar was held “with the support of the Georgian authorities.”
The seminar was attended by Alexander Darakhvelidze, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs from the ruling “Georgian Dream” government, and Mikheil Chokoshvili, Head of the Customs Department of the Revenue Service.