Georgia’s State Security Council denies offer of training centre for Syrian rebels
Tweet 
Share
Georgia’s Council for State Security and Crisis Management is confidently denying Georgia had no plans to host a training centre that would cater for foreign Islamic State fighters, including Syrian rebels.
The Council issued a statement that said with "full responsibility” the information spread through the media "as if it is planned to train Syrian rebels within the current international anti-terrorist operation against Islamic state, is not true.”
The Council said there were no plans to open a training centre in Georgia or send any military contingent within the coalition.
"In addition we declare that Georgia supports the effort of the international commonwealth in fighting against terrorism and confirmation of this is our participation in the ISAF operation in Afghanistan,” read the statement which insisted Georgia’s participation in the coalition created to fight the Islamic State implied the country would be involved in "only humanitarian missions”.
Earlier today an anonymous American administration official was quoted as telling Foreign Policy (FP) magazine that Georgia had offered to host a training facility for Syrian rebels as a part of the US-led war against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.
The article, published online today, said Georgia’s offer was being touted as a potential boost for the Obama administration.
Meanwhile Ambassador of Georgia to the US Archil Gegeshidze denied the claim and said he was misquoted by the FP journalist. He said he was saddened the FP journalist misunderstood and "made such a mistake”. He believed the journalists could have "misunderstand the information that was provided to him”.
"If the issue come to the agenda, as well as other issues may, the Georgian Government will treat this with full responsibility, consider its pros and cons and only after this, will make a decision at the highest political level. But this response does not mean a confirmation in any way,” Gegeshidze commented to journalists.
Leading United States (US) magazine of global politics, economics and ideas – Foreign Policy (FP) – is denying it printed an "inaccuracy” in a Georgian official’s quote in an article about Tbilisi’s offer to host a training centre for anti-Islamic State fighters.
Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili says there are no plans for Georgia to host a training centre for Islamic State fighters and Georgia's participation in the anti-terrorist coalition would only be in a "humanitarian” way.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has publically stated that if Georgia’s so-called offer to host a training camp for Syrian rebels was established, it "would affect Georgia very negatively”.
Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili says the opposition party Free Democrats’ demand to merge the State Security and Crisis Management Council (SSCMC), under the Prime Minister, with the National Security Council (NSC), under the President, is against the Georgian Constitution and "is inadequate”.
With UK model from new Situation Room
Georgia has opened a new crisis management centre that will better ensure state security, offer quicker and more efficient reaction to state emergencies and provide greater protection to the country’s citizens.