Georgia celebrates first annual Peacekeeper Day

Georgia is celebrating the first ever Georgian Peacekeeper Day that honours troops serving in their homeland and in international missions, and to recognise and highlight Georgia’s role as a contributor to world peace.

The occasion was marked today by Georgia's Defence Ministry officials and military leadership of the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF), who each laid wreaths at a special memorial honouring soldiers who had been killed in conflicts for Georgia's territorial integrity and peacekeeping operations.

For 17 years Georgian soldiers have been serving in various international missions under NATO and European Union banner. I recently arrived from Afghanistan, where I witnessed their professionalism and international recognition. Every individual in Georgia should know that [these troops] fulfil very responsible task," said Georgia's Minister of Defence Levan Izoria at the ceremony.

The Defence Ministry announced the celebration for the first ever Peacekeeper Day today:

MoD #Izoria announces 31st of August as #Georgia|n Peacekeeper's day 17 years in peacekeeping missions worldwide pic.twitter.com/irWNrX5Ztl

— MOD Georgia (@ModGovGe) 31 August 2016

Two days ago Izoria decided Georgian Peacekeeper Day would be marked annually on August 31 to mark the contribution of Georgian soldiers to global peacekeeping efforts since 1999.

As well as Izoria, today’s occasion at the Defence Ministry in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi also involved Chief of General Staff of the GAF Major General Vakhtang Kapanadze and their respective deputies.

The special ceremony involved Georgia's Defence Minister Levan Izoria. Photo from the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.

Two days ago Izoria visited Afghanistan and met Georgian soldiers serving in international peacekeeping missions. In the near future he was also scheduled to meet representatives of Georgia's first international peacekeeping unit, deployed to Kosovo following the Balkan conflict in 1999, to "thank them and all soldiers who carried out the mission".

Battalion-sized units of the GAF are currently serving in NATO peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan on a rotational basis. Georgia has earned the status of the largest non-NATO contributor to the task under the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the follow-up Resolute Support missions of the alliance.

Georgian service members are also involved in peacekeeping, training and advisory efforts in Ukraine, Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Georgian peacekeeping units have served in the following international missions:

• 1999-2008 – NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo;
• 2003-2008 – NATO peacekeeping mission in Iraq;
• 2004-present – NATO peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan;
• 2014-present – European Union peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic;
• 2015-present – European Union peacekeeping mission in Mali;
• 2015-present – European Union peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.