Consul General of Georgia in San Francisco attended the Black Sea Security Symposium at the Naval Postgraduate School and participated in the panel discussion: "Energy Security as part of national security in the Black Sea region and global implications.” The panel was represented by Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Romanian diplomats, who discussed the current security challenges in the region.
Levan Beridze underlined the importance of stronger connectivity between allies to ensure energy security in the Black Sea region. He highlighted the importance of the groundbreaking agreement between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary and Romania in the field of green energy development and transmission. Consul General noted that the Black Sea Submarine Cable project will connect the South Caucasus region directly to the Southeast Europe through a submarine cable crossing the Black Sea, thereby enhancing the energy flow to Europe and reducing Russia’s influence on the energy resources in the wider region.
Levan Beridze also noted that already implemented projects like the BTC (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan) pipeline, the southern gas corridor project and other new initiatives, such as the Black Sea Submarine Cable, will continue to strengthen energy flow to Europe and heavily contribute to the overall energy security of the wider region.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Erika Olson, was a keynote speaker at the symposium. Ms. Olson underscored Georgia's crucial role in uniting countries of the South Caucasus and singled the US's commitment to supporting the region's stability and security. She also stressed that leadership and innovation will play a key role in diversifying energy resources in the region.
Consul General also had the pleasure of meeting the Georgian students, who are currently studying at the Naval Postgraduate School. The symposium provided a unique platform for the Consul General to connect with Georgian professionals and exchange the ideas and perspectives on how to further enhance the relationships between Georgia and United States.
The symposium, which was held for the second time, brought together a diverse group of participants to address the increasingly pressing issue of energy security. Diplomats from the countries bordering the Black Sea and Caspian regions joined forces with the U.S. officials and energy security experts to discuss and explore ways to improve global energy security, specifically focusing on the Black Sea region.