Georgia-Afghanistan officials discuss post-ISAF mission

The progress of the international mission in Afghanistan and post-International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operations were the main topics discussed between Georgian and Afghan Defence Ministers in Brussels today.

Georgia’s Minister of Defence Irakli Alasania and his Afghan counterpart Bismillah Khan Mohhamadi focused on effective ways to hand over the security responsibility to Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) following the mission’s end.

At the meeting, Alasania reaffirmed the Georgian Government was eager to support Afghans in the process of implementing their reforms.

"Georgia, like Afghanistan, has experienced Soviet Occupation and Civil War, and it survived and became stronger. The reforms which were implemented in Georgia are interesting for them and [we] expect to share our experience with them,” Alasania said.

According to the agreed future path, Afghan security forces will take on full security responsibility for their country by the end of 2014, while the role of the ISAF forces will shift from a combat to a support role.

Georgia also indicated its willingness to participate in the post-2014 follow-on mission to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces once the country resumed security responsibility.

The meeting between the two Defence Ministers was held in the framework of the NATO Defence Ministerial in Brussels.

Summing up results of the Ministerial, Alasania said Georgia’s "image in NATO changed to the best day by day”.

"They appreciate the huge contribution Georgian troops are providing to the global security. Everybody thinks that Georgia will go ahead towards NATO integration,” he said.

Georgia is currently the largest non-NATO troop contributor to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. Georgian authorities had already made the decision to have its military contribute to a European Union (EU) rescue mission in the violence-torn Central African Republic.