Defence Minister of Georgia Visits NATO HQ
Thursday, November 20
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Defence Minister of Georgia Mindia Janelidze to NATO HQ. The Georgian delegation led by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili paid an official visit to Brussels.
NATO-Georgia relations and the Substantial Package Georgia received at the NATO Wales Summit were the main issues of the discussion. As the NATO Secretary General outlined, the Substantial Package will strengthen Georgia’s defence capabilities, and help Georgia move closer to membership.
“Georgia is one of our most committed partners. And Georgia plays an outstanding role in our operations. The Wales Summit marked an important milestone in our relations. We agreed to a Substantial Package of measures that will strengthen your country’s defence capabilities, and help Georgia move closer to membership. We also invited Georgia to join our initiative to enhance interoperability with partners who make significant contributions to the Alliance. Today we discussed how to translate these initiatives into actions. NATO will support defence capacity-building in Georgia through embedded trainers,” stated Jens Stoltenberg.
The sides also referred to the importance of the establishment of the Georgia-NATO Training Center.
“The center will have great importance in increasing Georgia’s capabilities. At the meeting we discussed further cooperation between NATO and Georgia, including the Substantial Package that Georgia received at the NATO Wales Summit. The plan that Georgia was granted at the Wales Summit will be carried out according to the schedule,” stated Defence Minister Mindia Janelidze after the meeting with the NATO Secretary General. Stoltenberg outlined that the center will help Georgian forces maintain their ability to work with NATO and will prepare Georgia and other partners for future contributions to the NATO Response Force.
Georgia’s contribution to the ISAF mission and engagement in the Resolute Support mission after 2015 were also discussed at the meeting. The sides also talked about regional security issues.
