Wounded soldiers receive a gift
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Wednesday, October 21
Georgian soldiers who were wounded in action during various international peacekeeping missions received a gift from the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom several days ago.
The crew of a newly-purchased British military aircraft – an A400M Atlas - brought sports equipment for sitting volleyball to the VIP terminal of Tbilisi International Airport.
The UK Defence Attache, LTC Nick Wilkes, personally handed the gift to the wounded Georgian warriors.
In his statement, Wilkes said that he was happy to be in Georgia and help support Georgian soldiers.
“The UK and Georgia’s Defence Ministry (MoD) are closely cooperating. I am happy that the UK Government is involved in the activities to encourage an active lifestyle of wounded soldiers.
“I also welcome the creation of a special department under the Georgian Ministry of Defence for wounded soldiers and their families,” the colonel stated.
The Deputy Chief of General Staff of the GAF, Colonel Omar Begoidze, MoD representatives and wounded Georgian soldiers - as well as Defence Attaches of NATO member countries accredited to Georgia – all attended the event.
Begoidze emphasised that through the support of the UK Government, Georgian wounded soldiers have participated in various local and international tournaments.
“The two countries’ Defence Ministries are cooperating very fruitfully. The UK Defence Ministry representatives have trained our wounded soldiers for various international sporting tournaments.”
“We have also invited a British advisor to the Ministry of Defence who will provide us with needed advice in the course of the following three years,” Begoidze said.
Later on, the aircraft A400M Atlas was presented and a reception was held for the invited guests at Tbilisi International Airport. A photo exhibition that depicted various activities of the Georgian wounded warriors was also displayed for the occasion.
