Overview: Georgia continued its close cooperation with the United States on a wide-range of counterterrorism-related issues. In October, Georgia held a presidential election solidifying the country's trend of peaceful democratic progress. Cooperation on counterterrorism activities has remained steady following the change in power, and all signs indicate the new government will continue to work closely with the United States and other international partners in the fight against terrorism.

2013 Terrorist Attacks: On September 9, in Georgia's separatist Abkhazia region, a Russian diplomat was shot and killed. Yusup Lakayev, a suspected violent Islamist extremist, was later apprehended by Georgian authorities in the city of Batumi in connection with the attack. While terrorism is one potential explanation for the attack, the investigation remained ongoing at year's end.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Georgian counterterrorist legislation was enhanced in 2013. In November, the Chapter devoted to terrorism-related crimes was largely amended to criminalize terrorism-related offenses to a greater extent. The definition of a terrorist act was broadened and the threat of terrorism was criminalized. Liability for involvement in terrorism-related activities was established by law. As a result of the November amendments, a separate criminal code article addressed illegal purchase, storage, transportation, preparation, and sale of weapons for terrorism purposes or the threat of such. The new legislation introduced the concept of technological terrorism and made the illegal handling of biological and chemical weapons for terrorism purposes a criminal offense with severe penalties. The amendments also criminalized attacks against public officials and their families in relation to their official activities in public office. The crimes of theft, extortion, or falsification of documents in relation to supporting terrorist acts were made separately punishable under the terrorist chapter of the criminal code, with significant criminal penalties.

While the individual counterterrorism units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are capable of detecting, deterring, and responding to terrorist incidents, there is not an overarching strategy of a national coordinated and collaborative response. There is occasional interagency cooperation and limited information sharing, but the information is restricted to actionable intelligence for immediate prosecution by tactical or investigative units. The counterterrorism response and investigation mechanism is fragmented between several specialized law enforcement units and several Ministries. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has the primacy in the investigations, crisis response, and border security capacity, but there are other units within the Government of Georgia and the Ministry of Defense that have similar functions.

The Georgian government's lack of control of the Russian-occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia limited its ability to investigate and counter terrorism and other serious crime in these regions and to secure its border with Russia.

The United States assisted Georgia in developing border security capabilities through the Department of State's Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) program. Nearly 200 Georgian officers participated in ATA training programs in 2013, which also focused on the management of terrorism-related incidents and cases, formulation of national counterterrorism strategies, and improved Georgian institutionalization of ATA training through instructor development.

The State Department Office of Export Control and Related Border Security and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency continued its programs to strengthen Georgia's border security and to detect and interdict weapons of mass destruction along Georgia's maritime border. These activities included support for the establishment of modern export control law consistent with international standards, provision of all-terrain vehicles and related training, and upgrading Georgian Coast Guard facilities and coastal infrastructure.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Georgia is a member of the Council of Europe (COE) Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (Moneyval), a Financial Action Task Force-style regional body. Georgia amended its legislation in 2013 to further bring it up-to-date with international standards. Lawyers were added to the list of the entities required to report suspicious and over threshold transactions. The Georgian Financial Monitoring Service adopted a decree that requires leasing companies and qualified credit institutions to ensure implementation and operation of an electronic data base containing identification details of clients and other relevant persons and information on transactions (operations) subject to monitoring, as well as implementation and operation of the relevant software for revealing suspicious and unusual transactions. On July 1, 2013, Georgia temporarily suspended the visa-free regime it previously maintained with Iran. The Financial Monitoring Service of Georgia signed Memoranda of Understanding with many countries.

The definitions of "terrorist" and "terrorist organization" in the Law of Georgia on the Fight Against Terrorism that were considered unsatisfactory according to Moneyval's 2012 evaluation, were updated to bring them up to the international standards. The definition of a terrorist act was broadened and a threat of such was criminalized.

A Governmental Commission on the Matters related to the Enforcement of UNSCRs ensured the freezing of property owned by persons related to terrorism and individuals designated by relevant UNSCRs in order to prevent financing of terrorist or other illegal activities or its support in other forms. The Financial Monitoring Service of Georgia, based on relevant UNSCRs, systematically updated the list of individuals and legal entities associated with terrorist groups.

For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, see the 2014 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume 2, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.

Regional and International Cooperation: Georgia is an active member of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation and the GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova) Organization for Democracy and Economic Development. Georgia is also a party to the COE Conventions on the Suppression of Terrorism and the amending protocol. Georgia signed the convention on "Laundering, Search, Seizure, and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on Financing of Terrorism" and the "Second Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters" with the COE in 2013.

Georgia concluded bilateral antiterrorism and law enforcement cooperation agreements with Israel and Lithuania, bringing the number of bilateral agreements on police cooperation and combatting crime Georgia has signed to 22.

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