Author of Agenda.ge's Afghanistan blog awarded prestigious US medal
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A Georgian Master-Sergeant has been awarded a prestigious US medal for outstanding service to the military in a ceremony today at the Master-Sergeant National Training Centre Krtsanisi.
The efforts of Georgian Master-Sergeant Koba Oshkhereli were recognized and praised, which included contributing to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan.
While serving in the ISAF mission as a Senior Georgian NCO, Oshkhereli wrote a blog for Agenda.ge as to how he and the other serving soldiers welcomed New Year 2014 in Afghanistan.
His blog, titled"The Talibs do not care that it was New Year…”has become one of the top blogs for Agenda.ge readers.
"It was an unexpected surprise when Sergeant Major Aluda Kopaliani announced my name and handed me with theGeorgia Meritorious Service Medal,” Oshkhereli said.
"The US officers wanted to award me with this medal in Afghanistan but I was not there at the time,” he said.
Today, an NCO Leadership course launched at the Giorgi Antsukhelidze NCO Training Centre. The week-long course will be held twice a year, in which Georgia Armed Forces’ Senior Sergeants will exchange experience.
Georgia's Foreign Minister said Rasmussen "abosolutely agreed” that Georgia had made significant progress in recent years and that it should be adequately praised from the Alliance.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has agreed in principle to offer "a substantive package” to Georgia to help it come closer to NATO but made no mention of membership.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Georgia will not be offered a Membership Action Plan (MAP) at the NATO Summit in Wales in September.