Think tank GEOCASE has released a statement regarding the Integration of Georgian Intelligence Service into the State Security Service of Georgia.

GEOCASE urges the ruling Georgian Dream party "to refrain from taking this imprudent action".

“Georgian Dream” is planning to make the Georgian Intelligence Service part of the State Security Service, which is an alarming move, creating serious threats to the country’s national security system and its institutional arrangement.

Since 1997, the Georgian Intelligence Service has been an independent agency with the crucial role of ensuring Georgia’s national security, acquiring critical information, and cooperating with international partners. In the past, merging the service with another agency led to a decrease in its efficiency and institutional destabilization, which the then-government soon acknowledged and reversed the decision. Thereafter, the Georgian Intelligence Service was again established as an independent entity and even experienced significant investment from the Georgian government, as well as international partners. The goal of the multi-year process was to establish the intelligence service as an independent, politically impartial institution based on Western values and operational principles, capable of effectively fulfilling its assigned functions and duties.

Integration of the Georgian Intelligence Service into the State Security Service will, most probably, lead to a decline in the efficiency of intelligence activities, leave challenges facing Georgia inadequately addressed or entirely ignored, and cause a brain drain of qualified personnel. This will also jeopardize cooperation with Western intelligence services, resulting in reduced information sharing, suspension of personnel retraining, and a decline in trust.

As a result of so-called reform, the power of the State Security Service will increase, and alternative views and diverse opinions necessary for the effective business process will be restricted. Considering Georgia’s political reality, the service will be politicized, which is absolutely in contradiction with the basic principles intelligence activity is based on.

While Georgia faces numerous critical challenges and great importance is attached to strengthening state resilience, there is a deliberate attempt to weaken the institutional system, which collectively makes Georgia’s already fragile security system even more vulnerable.

Consequently, we urge "Georgian Dream" to refrain from taking this imprudent action, which is in direct opposition to the national interests of Georgia and will have a substantial impact on the national security system of the country.

We express our support for the dedicated and professional employees of the Georgian Intelligence Service who wish to serve the country’s interests. In case of their departure from the system, we are ready to offer our platform for sharing their professional insights and utilizing their expertise and contacts in the field of security," the statement said.