In this episode, Ambassador Shota Gvineria will update us on the current situation in Georgia and give us some background on its relations with Russia and Ukraine, territorial integrity, its desire to join the EU and the rise of populism in Europe , that may explain how Georgia got on its current path. Biography of our guest : Amb. Shota Gvineria joined the Baltic Defence College as the lecturer in Defence and Cyber Studies in July of 2019. He is also a non-resident fellow at the Economic Policy Research Center since 2017. Earlier, Amb. Gvineria has been working on various positions in Georgia’s public sector. Among other positions, Shota Gvineria served as the Deputy Secretary at the National Security Council of Georgia. He covered NATO’s integration and security policy related issues as the Ambassador at Large in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. In his previous capacity until August 2016, he held the position of the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Minister of Defense of Georgia. Through 2010-14, he served as the Ambassador of Georgia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 2010, Amb. Gvineria waspromoted to the position of a Director of European Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. Prior to that, in he served as a Head of NATO Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia. In the period from April 2006 until October 2008, Shota Gvineria was posted as the Counselor of the Georgian Mission to NATO. Amb. Gvineria holds MA in Strategic Security Studies from Washington’s National Defense University. He also earned his MA in International Relations from the Diplomatic School of Madrid and Public Administration from the Georgian Technical University. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mediterranean-sustainable/message