Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO arrives in Tbilisi
By Levan Abramishvili
Monday, March 25
Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, arrived in Tbilisi yesterday. He was greeted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, David Zalkaliani.
Stoltenberg will hold official meetings in Tbilisi starting today. He will meet the Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, after which they will issue a joint statement for the media.
Furthermore, the Secretary-General of NATO will also meet the President, Salome Zurabishvili and the Chairperson of the Parliament, Irakli Kobakhidze.
During his visit, Jens Stoltenberg will also visit NATO-Georgian Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC).
Stoltenberg has been a strong supporter of Georgia, this is his third visit to the country.
On March 14, The Secretary General's Annual Report was published, where Georgia was listed as a critical partner of NATO. The report reads:
“Georgia is a critical partner for the Alliance. It aspires to NATO membership, and Allies have consistently reaffirmed their commitment to Georgia’s eventual membership. Georgia is also a significant contributor to NATO’s operations and missions.
Defence and related security capacity building for Georgia is provided through the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package. The Package is designed to strengthen Georgia’s defence capacities and therefore help Georgia prepare for eventual NATO membership.
The Substantial NATO-Georgia Package comprises 15 initiatives: the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Centre; the Defence Institution Building School; a logistics capability; the Special Operations Forces; intelligence; secure communications; cyber defence; acquisition; aviation; air defence; maritime security development; military police; strategic communications; counter-mobility; and crisis management.
In 2018, Allies expressed their readiness to enhance their support to Georgia, including in the areas of counter-mobility, training and exercises, and secure communications.“
