Georgia-US to sign 3-year-defence deal to speed up Georgian integration into NATO
The Georgia-US three year deal in the defence field will be signed in the autumn of 2019, with further details coming soon. Photo: TIME magazine.
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Georgia and the United States will sign a three-year agreement in the autumn in the defence field, which will strengthen the country’s defence capabilities and speed up Georgia’s NATO integration, the Georgian Defence Ministry reports.
The statement came after the meetings of Georgian Defence Minister Levan Izoria in Pentagon, in the United States on Monday.
The agreement will provide opportunities for Georgia to come closer to NATO and be ready for membership in the alliance,” the Georgia Defence Ministry says.
Izoria discussed Georgia-US cooperation in the defence field and future prospects of relations with the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense John Rood.
US General Steve Lyons, a commander of the United States Transportation Command and Georgian Defence Minister Levan Izoria have discussed the possibility of joint development of Vaziani military aerodrome infrastructure.
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis has sent a letter to Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze and thanked him for his commitment to the country's defense reforms and investment in the Georgian armed forces.
Georgia’s armed forces now boast the first unit trained within their "most ambitious program”, as officials and military commanders celebrated the graduation of the first battalion of the Georgia Defence Readiness Program earlier today.
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has commended Georgian Defence Minister Levan Izoria for Georgia's ongoing commitment to defence reforms and to strengthening the capabilities of the country's armed forces through robust defence spending at 2.2 percent of the country's gross domestic product.
Georgian Defence Minister Levan Izoria says that US-Georgia cooperation is at an all-time high, especially in the defence field, and “in the future we only welcome American bases in Georgia”, he told Voice of America.
The Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze will visit the United States tomorrow. PM Bakhtadze will meet with representatives of leading companies in San Francisco, Seattle and Dallas and speak of Georgia’s investment climate.
The United States has allocated $132 million to Georgia as financial aid, which is the largest amount in the US-Georgia relations, as the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has responded to the current tension in the Middle East and stated that there is no alternative to peaceful negotiations and active diplomacy. “Any tension may cause huge problems both for security and economy,” Gakharia stated earlier today. He said that since the beginning of the tension between the US and Iran, Georgia has been in “close contact with international partners and we are closely observing the situation together.”