The National Security Council is an advisory body for the Government of Georgia dealing with matters of national security. It was established in 1996 and was then led by the President of Georgia. Its powers were significantly curtailed by the November 2013 changes to the Constitution of Georgia and was largely sidelined by the State Security and Crisis Management Council, which was chaired by the Prime Minister and functioned until December 2017. The President-led NSC was abolished on 16 December 2018 and reestablished under the Prime Minister in April 2019.
History
The National Security Council of Georgia was established under President Eduard Shevardnadze on 24 January 1996. The respective law defined the Council as an advisory body of the President of Georgia for decision-making on strategic questions of the organisation of military construction and defence, international and foreign policy related to the security of the country, maintenance of stability, law and order. The National Security Council included the Ministers of State, Foreign Affairs, Defense, State Security, Internal Affairs, and the Secretary of the NSC. The President served as the Chairperson of the Council. The Chairperson of Parliament and those of the Supreme Representative Bodies of Abkhazia and Adjara Autonomous Republics, though not members, were to participate in the NSC activities. The NSC Secretary had a number of duties, including general organizational, coordination, and management duties related to the functioning of the NSC and the NSC Apparatus. The Secretary also serves in the role of Assistant to the President of Georgia "on questions of national security". The NSC was abolished by a controversial law passed by the Parliament of Georgia on 31 October 2018, which became effective upon the inauguration of President Salome Zurabishvili on 16 December 2018. The decision was criticized by the then-President Giorgi Margvelashvili, the incumbent NSC secretary David Rakviashvili, and foreign commentators such as Ronald S. Mangum. In April 2019, the NSC was reestablished under the leadership of Prime Minister. It also includes seven other permanent members: Ministers of Defense, Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs, and Finances, as well as heads of state security and intelligence services, and Chief of Defense Forces. The reconstituted Council had its inaugural meeting on 1 May 2019.
According to the 2018 constitutional amendment, a consultative body—the National Defense Council—is called for only during martial law. It is chaired by the President of Georgia and also includes the Prime Minister, the Chairperson of Parliament, the Minister of Defense, and the Chief of Defense Forces. The President of Georgia can invite individual members of the Parliament and of the Government to join the Council as members.
