Tbilisi responds to Moscow: "It’s our right to choose military partners"
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"Georgia is an independent and sovereign state, which has the right to hold any kind of training on its territory,” Georgia’s Foreign Ministry says.
The agency issued a statement in response to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s claims that the joint Georgia-United States (US) military exercises aimed at "escalating the military and political situation in the South Caucasus.”
The Russian side criticised the Noble Partner drills, which will launch on May 11 and continue for just over two weeks in Georgia. The exercises will feature about 500 Georgian, 150 United Kingdom and 650 US service members.
Russia assessed the US-Georgia joint activities as "provocative”.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry emphasised it was Georgia’s "sovereign right” to choose its military partners and forms of cooperation with them.
"These activities are not directed against any other parties,” official Tbilisi said, adding that similar exercises took place in Georgia last year too.
"With such exercises Georgia deepens cooperation in military and educational spheres with its partners, which is important for intensifying the country’s defence ability,” official Tbilisi said.
The statement stressed it was in Georgia’s interest to keep stability in the Caucasus.
Russia is dissatisfied that Georgia and the United States (US) are getting ready to conduct joint military exercises in Georgia.
Heavy military equipment from the United States (US) Army has arrived in Georgia and is ready to be used in a two-week joint US-Georgia military exercise.
The United States (US) Army's iconic Abrams tanks will feature alongside other heavy military equipment at this year's joint Georgia-US military exercise Noble Partner, which starts later this month.
Georgian Armed Forces (GAF) and their United States (US) Army partners will hold a second edition of the joint military exercise Noble Partner as two countries continue their defence cooperation.
Georgia has a firm pro-Western course and this direction was chosen by the people of Georgia, says Prime Minister. Giorgi Kvirikashvili stressed the ruling Georgian Dream party had a political vector that fully reflected the nations’ pro-Western choice.
The largest-ever joint military drills between Georgia and NATO have officially launched on Georgian soil. The Noble Partner exercises opened at the Vaziani military air base just outside capital Tbilisi today with a novel display involving military vehicles parachuting out of planes.
Georgian and American soldiers are today practicing anti-tank exercises at Vaziani military base just outside Tbilisi.
Georgia is condemning the mass military drills initiated by Russia in the north Caucasus, in Crimea, in military bases in Armenia and in Georgia’s occupied regions and say the exercises are provocative and a "threat that has the potential to destabilize the region”.
The Russian 58th army is conducting drills in Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region, with the involvement of local "operative groups and divisions”, Russian and Tskhinvali media reports.
Russia’s 4th Infantry Brigade is conducting military drills in Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region.