Overview: In 2012, Georgia continued its close cooperation with U.S. government agencies on a wide-range of counterterrorism-related issues. Specifically, the U.S. Embassy's Regional Security, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Export Control and Border Security, Department of Justice Resident Legal Advisor, and International Narcotics and Law Enforcement officers all provided significant training and equipment to relevant agencies in the Georgian government. The Georgian government's lack of control of the occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia limited its ability to counter terrorism in these regions and to secure its border with Russia.

2012 Terrorist Incidents: The year was marked by the discovery of an improvised explosive device (IED) attached to the car of a locally employed staff member of the Israeli Embassy in Tbilisi on February 13. No injuries were reported, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs was able to successfully neutralize the IED. The discovery of the IED coincided with similar incidents, on the same day, in which Israeli diplomats were targeted in Thailand and India. These attacks were linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Qods Force.

In August, an armed confrontation with suspected violent Islamist extremists from Chechnya occurred in the Lopota Gorge region of Georgia. The Georgian government initially did not classify the confrontation as a terrorist incident, but in November, the newly-elected government reopened an investigation into the events surrounding the attack.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Georgia amended legislation on technological terrorism and cyber terrorism. The United States, Georgia, and Armenia participated in cross-border exercises that successfully demonstrated the Governments of Georgia and Armenia's internal, bilateral, and international notification and response procedures in the detection and interdiction of illicit trans-border movements of weapons of mass destruction materials.

In early 2012, Georgia arrested and convicted two individuals in two separate instances attempting to place IEDs in the Samegrelo region of Georgia. The bombings allegedly originated in Abkhazia, and the bombers were apprehended before they could detonate the IEDs.

Countering Terrorist Finance: Georgia is a member of Moneyval, the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism, and saw improved scores in 2012. Georgia amended its criminal code in 2012, adding two articles. The first classifies the financing of actions that pose a danger to the navigation of an aircraft as terrorist financing, and the other classifies and defines the financing of an action that leads to an explosion as terrorist financing.

In January, the Permanent National Interagency Antiterrorist Commission (PNIAC) was established. The PNIAC, which is chaired by the Minister of Justice, significantly expedites the court order process for freezing assets of individuals or entities on the UNSCR 1267/1989 and 1988 consolidated lists. If an entity or individual is on any of the lists, the PNIAC passes the names to the National Bank for dissemination to privately registered banks in Georgia.

For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, we refer you to the 2013 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: On the regional level, 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. Bilaterally, Georgia concluded a counterterrorism and law enforcement cooperation agreement with Hungary and Turkey in 2012, bringing the number of bilateral counterterrorism and law enforcement agreements Georgia has signed to 21. Georgia is in the process of concluding these bilateral agreements with every European country.

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