Georgian General gets top job in UN Afghanistan mission

Georgia’s second highest military official has been granted a leading role in a United Nations (UN) mission in Afghanistan.

First Deputy of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF) Brigade General Vladimir Chachibaia has been offered the role of High Military Adviser of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). 

With this, Chachibaia has become the first from Georgia and the wider region to be offered such a high military position within a foreign international mission.

Chachibaia was selected above candidates from other developed states, said Georgia’s Ministry of Defence today.

He will soon depart for Afghanistan and spend one year completing his duties.

While abroad Chachibaia will be responsible for giving advice to special representatives of the mission, be responsible for the safety of the UN General Staff and coordinate between the UN mission and Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence. 

I will also cooperate with the staff of coalition forces and attachés in Afghanistan. I will have an advisers’ council composed of foreign countries’ officers,” said Chachibaia. 

We will draft recommendations on a weekly basis and work on elaborating strategic documents. We will also work on analyses and have direct contact with the UN relevant departments in New York,” Chachibaia announced. 

Head of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces and Chachibaia’s boss, Major General Vakhtang Kapanadze stressed the appointment of Chachibaia to the international role was a great achievement. 

He said Georgia had been involved in international peacekeeping missions since 1991 however this was the first time a Georgian military official, or anyone from the region, had been offered a top position in a UN mission.

The UNAMA is a political mission established by the Security Council in 2002 at the request of the Afghanistan government to assist it and the people of Afghanistan in laying the foundations for sustainable peace and development in the country.

On March 16 2015, the 15-member UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution which renewed the mandate of UNAMA and set out the scope and range of activities it is expected to undertake during the coming 12 months, stated the UN official website.