Georgian peacekeepers return home after Africa stint

More than hundred Georgian military peacekeepers have returned home after spending six months serving in the Central African Republic.

The 142 military servicemen of the 22nd Battalion of the II Infantry Brigade of the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF) returned home this morning to a hero’s welcome at Alekseevka Airport.

At the small welcoming ceremony, the troops were praised by Defence Ministry officials for successfully completed their mission of ensuring security and maintaining peace in the troubled area. The Georgian soldiers were also tasked with conducting patrols near the airport.

The personnel of the 22nd Battalion carried out the mission under the French Command in the Capital of Republic of Central Africa for six months.

The returning Georgian troops were replaced by a 100-strong group of soldiers from the 23rd Battalion the same Brigade, who left Georgia on December 9 for a six-month stint in the Central African Republic. Georgian troops are serving there on a rotational basis.

Meanwhile, the Defence and Security Committee of Georgia’s Parliament have discussed whether to send two platoons to the Central African Republic in the United Nations-mandated European Union peacekeeping mission, titled European Union Force RCA (EUFOR RCA). This could only happen if the country’s Parliament endorsed the idea.

The decree named ‘Dispatch of Two Platoons to Central Africa for Participation in EUFOR RCA’ was introduced by National Security Council Secretary Irine Imerlishvili at yesterday’s Defense and Security Committee session.

"The European Union on behalf of France as a head of the mission pleased us to prolong the term of the Georgian Armed Forces until April 2015,” Imerlishvili said.

She highlighted that the local population was positive to Georgian soldiers, who were assigned to defend the airport.

"There is a problem of malaria in Central Africa though all the soldiers are vaccinated. No Ebola facts have been detected but if there is one instance of possible transmission, we will completely evacuate our troops,” she said.