Georgia marks five years serving in NATO missions
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Georgia is today marking five years’ service of the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF) in an international NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.
The country’s Ministry of Defence said the GAF had offered professional and unwavering service in Afghanistan – first in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission and currently in the follow-on Resolute Support mission.
Georgian troops were first deployed to serve in Afghanistan in 2010, where they served alongside militaries from the United States, France, other NATO members and non-member countries, in the ISAF mission.
Georgian Defence Minister Tinatin Khidasheli and Chief of General Staff of Georgian Armed Forces Vakhtan Kaponadze at the conference dedicated to the GAF serving for five years in Afghanistan. Photo by Defence Ministry
This mission officially concluded at the end of 2014 and was followed by a subsequent mission, the Resolute Support mission, in which 900 Georgian soldiers are currently taking part.
In the past five years, 29 Georgian soldiers lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan.
Georgia is the largest non-NATO partner to contribute to the ISAF and Resolute Support missions.
Read more about how Georgian soldiers celebrated New Year in Afghanistan in this exclusive blog by Koba Oshkhereli, Senior Georgian NCO in ISAF.
A conference summarising the GAF’s five years of activities in Afghanistan was held today at the Education Centre of the Ministry of Defence. There, Chief of General Staff of the GAF, Major-General Vakhtang Kapanadze praised all Georgian servicemen on their efforts to protect their homeland and Georgia’s partner nations.
"These were five years’ of sweat and blood but at the same time it was a great opportunity to gain military experience. I think this experience should not be lost; it should develop and be adapted for our Armed Forces,” he said.
Major-General Kapanadze noted the 29 men who had died while serving in Afghanistan had served their country honourably and their name would always be remembered.
Georgian Defence Minister Tinatin Khidasheli during her first visit to Afghanistan. Photo by Defence Ministry
Meanwhile, Georgia’s Minister of Defence Tinatin Khidasheli held her first official visit to Afghanistan on May 25-27, where she celebrated Georgia’s Independence Day with Georgian troops.
During her trip Khidasheli handed Georgian military servicemen official letters congratulating them on Independence Day and state flags as gifts.
The soldiers, in return, gifted the Minister with a Georgian flag that had been raised in Afghanistan and flown among flags of other nations’ serving in the ISAF and Resolute Support missions. The flag was a gift from the soldiers to Georgia’s President, Prime Minister and Defence Minister.
Today Khidasheli personally handed the flag sent by the 31st Enhanced Battalion of the 3rd Infantry Brigade to Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
Tinatin Khidasheli hands PM Garibashvili Georgian flag - the gift of Georgian soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Photo by Defence Ministry
Georgia’s Minister of Defence Tinatin Khidasheli is today congratulating Georgian and its people on Independence Day from Afghanistan, where she is currently holding meetings on her first official visit.
More than a hundred Georgian peacekeepers serving in a NATO-led mission in Afghanistan have returned home safely.
More than two hundred Georgian peacekeepers serving in a NATO-led mission in Afghanistan have returned home safely.
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Georgia’s Defence Minister Tinatin Khidasheli is set to meet Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels today.
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Georgia’s capital city is hosting an international NATO conference where Alliance members and partner countries can share their perspective on strategic issues of common interest.
Buried chemical explosives used in past conflicts have been discovered by Georgian soldiers near a heavily-populated German military base in northern Afghanistan.
The Minister of Defence of Georgia has started a two-day official visit to the capital of Belgium, where she is meeting European Union (EU) high officials and attending her first NATO defence ministerial.
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One Georgian serviceman has been killed and another has been injured while on duty in Afghanistan. Both soldiers were part of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission.
The latest wave of Georgian soldiers to participate in the NATO-led Resolute Support international peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan have been farewelled in a poignant ceremony today.
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Georgia’s Minister of Defence Tinatin Khidasheli paid a visit in Afghanistan to meet with Georgian soldiers serving there in an international peacekeeping mission and to obtain information concerning their problems and received experience.
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"You are the face, identity and dignity of the Georgian state,” said Georgia’s Minister of Defence Tinatin Khidasheli as she addressed a group of servicemen who are today leaving for Afghanistan to fight for international peace.