Young Georgians learn about NATO and environmental security
From 24 to 27 July, a summer seminar was held in Tbilisi for for twenty teenagers to broaden their knowledge about NATO and environmental security. Organized by the NATO Liaison Office together with the Georgian Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources, the event entitled “NATO, Security and the Environment” aimed to develop the participant’s analytical, critical thinking and debating skills.
The 17 and 18-year-old orphans and members of ethnic minorities learned about NATO’s mission and history, NATO-Georgia relations and the relatively new topic of environmental security. Activities included lectures, working groups, a NATO simulation game and an eco-tour in eastern Georgia’s Lagodekhi National Park.
One participant, Mari Mumlauri, said the simulation game helped her to “understand what NATO means in reality”. In the game, participants represented NATO member states, which had to make decisions about assisting Georgia.
Giorgi Kazarishvili, another participant, said he enjoyed the lectures and simulation game, through which he developed a good understanding of the Alliance and learned how decisions are taken at NATO. Like most participants, he was also impressed by the tour of Lagodekhi’s National Park’s protected areas and happy to make new friends.
NATO and Georgia cooperate on democratic, institutional and defence reforms, with the aim of preparing the country for eventual membership in the Alliance, as agreed by Allied leaders in April 2008.
The decision to open the NATO Liaison Office in Tbilisi was taken by NATO foreign ministers in December 2008.