Georgia’s Defence Minister meets soldiers in Afghanistan
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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.
The Minister initially visited Kabul, the central base, where she met with the Alfa hundreds of the 23rd battalion.
The Georgian servicemen are serving within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) international Resolute Support Mission.
Minister Tinatin Khidasheli received a symbolic gift. Photo by the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.
After the question and answer session the Alfa commander, Mayor Irakli Kobalia handed a symbolic gift to the Minister. The first class female soldier Rusudan Ivaneishvili was also rewarded for her exemplary conduct in the mission.
Within the visit today the Minister also attended an information briefing held by the Alfa commander and viewed the base logistical centre and a check point.
At the end of the visit Khidasheli met with the mission leadership and discussed the future prospects of the mission and Georgia’s role in it.
Georgia is the largest non-NATO contributor to the Resolute Support mission with 885 troops.
The Resolute Support mission was a follow-on task from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission, to which Georgia contributed about 750 troops.
Georgia is the largest non-NATO contributor to the Resolute Support mission. Photo by the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.
The Resolute Support mission is a NATO-led task consisting of about 12,000 personnel from NATO and partner nations. The mission operated from a central hub in Kabul at the Bagram Air Base, where the Georgian troops are stationed, as well as four satellite camps. Currently 14 partner countries, including Georgia, are contributing to the mission, said NATO.
Following the completion of the ISAF mission at the end of 2014, the Resolute Support mission launched on January 1, 2015 to provide further training, advice and assistance for the Afghan security forces and institutions. Georgia joined the ISAF mission in 2004.
Georgian troops will continue to serve in Afghanistan in a NATO-led peacekeeping mission after 2017.
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