Netherlands will assist Georgia to reform military aviation
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Friday, March 25
Georgia’s Minister of Defence Tinatin Khidasheli says that very soon Georgia will receive a Dutch team who will support Georgia in reforming its military aviation.
The statement came after the March 23 meeting of the Minister with the Netherland’s Ambassador to Georgia, Jos Douma.
Khidasheli highlighted that the Netherlands' support would be within the North-Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-Georgia Substantial package.
The Minister said she held several meetings with her Dutch counterpart in London a week ago, where the Netherlands' military officials accepted their mandate to provide assistance to Georgia.
“The Netherlands was one of the countries that had been refraining from participation in the NATO-Georgia deal, but we can now say and the Ambassador confirmed today that the Kingdom of the Netherlands will assist us in aviation reform in strengthening the aviation component in NATO-Georgia Substantial Package,” Khidasheli said.
The Minister announced last week a French team arrived in Georgia which is tasked with supervising air defence reforms within the Package.
“Soon we’ll receive a Dutch team that will help us with our aviation corps. Very effective activities are planned in these two directions in order to strengthen the Georgian Armed Forces with the assistance of our partners,” the Minister added.
The duo also discussed the existing security environment in Georgia and the region.