NATO states will undergo military training in Georgia
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Georgia’s Ministry of Defence has confirmed NATO member states will undergo military training in Georgia.
Conducting joint military exercises with NATO member states in Georgia would be another deterrent against growing Russian aggression, said Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Alasania on IMEDI TV last night.
When discussing the NATO-Georgian package adopted at the September NATO Summit in Wales, Alasania said one of the components of the package was to establish a NATO-Georgian Training and Evaluation Center where NATO forces and partner countries could train.
"This will be a joint centre but at the same time [it will be a place where] the military infrastructure of Georgia’s Defence Ministry and militaries of NATO member and partner states will undergo training,” he said.
The centre will serve as a place where servicemen can be evaluated and gain certification, Alasania said.
"There will be logistical infrastructure of the Armed Forces, which will be created with the help of NATO member states and [this] will contribute to the arrival of the militaries for training, their deployment and their withdrawal from Georgia,” Alasania noted.
The training centre would help the Georgian Armed Forces develop their abilities but it would also act as a deterrent against Russia’s increasing aggression and help provide more stability in the region.
Alasania noted NATO military personnel would come to Georgia periodically and undergo military trainings.
"This will take place regularly [and] naval ships will also enter Georgia. Big, strong NATO member states will conduct trainings with Georgia and this will be another deterrent factor against growing Russian aggression, which has opened up in front of us lately.”
Furthermore, Alasania said an institutional development school would be established and the experience gained in Georgia’s military structures will be shared with other NATO partner countries.
The Minister noted that high-ranking military officers from abroad would be involved in the implementation of the NATO-Georgia package. These people will come to Georgia and supervise the implementation process.
Construction on the new military and training centre in Georgia would begin next year.
The placement of military infrastructure in Georgia in the interests of NATO would pose a threat to stability in the Caucasus region, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
NATO may hold military exercises in Georgia and establish a military training centre in the country, see more Georgian participation in NATO exercises and possibly expand the local NATO liaison office - a top NATO official said.
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”.
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.
NATO-Georgia officials are gathering in Brussels today to discuss how Georgia will implement the Substantive Package, offered by the Alliance at last month’s NATO Summit in Wales.
The Defence Minister said Georgia would not allow pressure from Russia to stop it hosting a NATO training centre on its territory or deter its plans to deepen ties with the West.
Georgia’s implementation plan of the NATO-Georgia Substantive Package was discussed at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium by Georgian and NATO officials.
NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of U.S. European Command, General Philip Breedlove discussed the implementation of the Substantive Package, Georgia’s participation in the Afghan 2015 mission and regional threats with Georgian leadership.
NATO has decided to publically release an introduction to the Substantial NATO-GEORGIA Package, says Georgia’s Embassy in the United States of America. On the Embassy's official webpage the first three points of the the introduction to the document were published.
The top official of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is coming to Georgia. On August 26-27, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will pay his first official visit to Georgia. Today Georgia’s Foreign Ministry released information of Stoltenberg’s upcoming visit, including his agenda.
Georgian military personnel have gone through joint training at the Vaziani air field with US instructors.
Twelve soldiers from NATO and partner countries are undergoıng exercises on how to overcome obstacles on snowy landscapes in Georgia’s Gudauri resort, in the country’s east.
A Turkish military training ship carrying Turkey National Defence University Naval Military Academy students has entered the Poti Sea Port today.