NATO Sec-Gen: Afghanistan no longer shelter of terrorism, the goal would be unachievable without Georgia
NATO Secretary General thanked Georgian soldiers for their contribution to NATO mission in Afghanistan. Photo: 1TV.
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that Afghanistan is no longer a shelter for terrorists and that the achievement of this goal would have been unimaginable without Georgia.
Stoltenberg made the statement during his meeting with Georgian soldiers who received injuries in NATO-led missions in Afghanistan at the NATO-Georgia Joint Evaluation and Training Centre near Tbilisi earlier today.
NATO remains an essential source of stability in an unpredictable world where cooperation and partners’ contributions are essential in providing secure environment. Today’s Secretary General visit to #NATOGEOEX19 testifies #NATO’s commitment to a safer, stronger #Alliance. pic.twitter.com/Clfpii4c89
— NATO ACT (@NATO_ACT) March 25, 2019
I want to thank you in the name of all NATO allies, partners and the people who now feel safer in Afghanistan,” Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg viewed the centre and attended the NATO-Georgia 2019 joint exercise.
Delighted to observe the joint NATO-Georgia exercise with PM @BakhtadzeMamuka & honoured to meet veterans & serving soldiers. Georgia is a unique partner for #NATO & we are stepping up our cooperation. pic.twitter.com/RxlZsJaJCl
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) March 25, 2019
- Georgia is the largest non-NATO contributor to mission Resolute Support with 870 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.
- Thirty-two Georgian soldiers have been killed and more than 430 received injuries while serving in Afghanistan.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hopes Georgia can soon be welcomed into NATO, and praises the progress achieved by the country. He also urges Russia to withdraw its forces from Georgian territories.
The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will travel to Tbilisi on March 24-25. Stoltenberg will meet with President Salome Zurabishvili, Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze, Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze and other high-level officials.
The NATO-Georgia Exercise 2019 has started today at the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC), National Training Center Krtsanisi, near Tbilisi, Georgia. The exercise is comprised of 21 allied nations and three NATO partner nations, including Georgia as the host nation.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has hosted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in the presidential residency in Tbilisi earlier today.
Foreign Minister Davit Zalkaliani is paying a visit to Brussels, where he met with NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller at NATO headquarters today. He also spoke at a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission.
Georgian Defense Minister Levan Izoria has said that NATO-Georgia cooperation is becoming tighter and more extensive. His comment comes after he visited the NATO Allied Joint Force Command center in Naples, Italy last week.
Georgia will be involved in the US-led exercise Defender Europe 2020 in April and May of the next year, the largest exercise of its kind in Europe in 25 years with the participation of about 20,000 soldiers and 18 participating states, the New York Times reports. The Defender Europe 20 exercise will support NATO objectives "to build readiness within the alliance and deter potential adversaries."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday that “we see Russia, which has been responsible for aggressive actions against neighbours: Georgia, Ukraine, but also have forces in Moldova without the consent of the government in that country”.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani have welcomed the recent agreement between the United States and the Taliban aimed to end the almost 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan.
Ten more Georgian soldiers have tested positive for the coronavirus in Afghanistan and have been transported home to Georgia by the German Air Force earlier today. Twenty-eight other Georgian soldiers in the NATO Resolute Support Mission tested positive for the virus on July 10. Eight of the 28 soldiers, who underwent treatment in Gori hospital of central Georgia, have already recovered. The Georgian Defence Ministry says that all the 38 soldiers belong to one cluster that an Afghan personnel was the source of the infection.