The National Security Council session was held by the initiative of the President of Georgia, at the Presidential Palace. Issues related to the attack on the Georgian military units serving the ISAF international mission in Afghanistan, and published videos related to threats against Georgian troops and population as well as general security are being discussed during the session. The session began with a statement by Mikheil Saakashvili.

“I welcome this gathering. It is important to share with each other our opinions regarding different issues. One of such issues is the attack administered on our troops in Afghanistan, which resulted in an unprecedented number of casualties. The Minister of Defense of Georgia arrived on site and he has more detailed information. I cannot neglect to mention that deputy Head of the Joint Staff, General Kapanadze gave very interesting and conclusive explanations to the Georgian public regarding this issue in recent days. It is worthy when military personnel can clearly explain issues related to security to the public” – he noted.

The Head of State called the fact that the National Security Council session was held with participation of representatives of various political forces a positive occurrence. According to him, such a format creates an opportunity to consolidate important information and opinions regarding security of the country.

“It is a very positive occurrence that the National Security Council sessions have begun again. The National Security Council consists of representatives of various political forces. Government of Georgia, Administration of the President, National Security Council, Parliament of Georgia and of course our opinions are also represented here, which may differ regarding the nearest past just like our perception of Georgia’s future, but we must not have different opinions regarding the main issues: in the sense of security, safety and independence of our country. Hence, many issues are decided easily in this format of the National Security Council sessions – behind closed doors. Those of you who participated in the previous session are probably already convinced in this. All of us are receiving and sharing very interesting information which will assist the security of the country, work environment and general political disputes despite political competition. This is how it should be in democratic countries and I hope we are all building a democracy here. ..we must all stand above our emotions and disputes in this format, because this is a matter of national security. I hope that the following meetings will include more representatives, because our country and its interests stand about our personal interests” – stated the President of Georgia before beginning the session.

The National Security Council session was held behind closed doors.