State Security Service of Georgia published a statement regarding the agreement signed between State Security Service of Georgia and the State Security Committee (KGB) of Belarus.
BMG offers the statement unchanged:
"Due to high public interest, we would like to respond to the information disseminated in the recent period in relation to the Agreement signed between the State Security Service of Georgia and respective agency of the Republic of Belarus.
“Cooperation Agreement between the State Security Service of Georgia and The State Security Committee of the Republic of Belarus“ was signed in 2016. Following the signing of the Agreement, the Government of Georgia made all the steps within the respective terms to ensure entry into force of the document, while the Republic of Belarus put the document signed in 2016 into force in August of the current year and made this information available via media.
The Agreement intents on cooperation between the parties in the fields of fight against terrorism, corruption as well as other international and transnational organized crimes committed against state security.
The state, in accordance to its interests, voluntarily exchanges the information in the direction of fight against crime, hence, this Agreement does not oblige the parties to carry out an act which is against their state interests.
The State Security Service of Georgia has got law-enforcement cooperation of the similar type with multiple partner countries worldwide, including with the United States of America, the UK, France, Lithuania and other NATO and EU-member countries.
Disinformation campaign launched in relation to this matter reaffirms that the State Security Service of Georgia is being deliberately discredited. Using of the international agreement in the process of campaign to discredit security and law-enforcement agencies of the country, raise particular concern since it may damage Georgia’s state interests," - reads the statement.
An agreement of cooperation between the Georgian State Security Service (SSG), the country’s chief domestic intelligence agency and the State Security Committee (KGB) of Belarus entered into force on August 1.
This agreement coincided with the U.S., Georgia’s main strategic partner expanding sanctions against Belarusian authorities over their roles in disputed August 2020 presidential elections and the subsequent crackdown on opposition protesters.
Franak Viačorka, senior advisor to Lukashenko’s key challenger in 2020 elections, called the agreement “shameful,” and expressed hopes Georgia will not extradite Belarusian journalists and activists to the authorities in Minsk.
