Georgian Defence Minister: Georgia is a worthy, strategic partner of NATO
Gharibashvili noted that Georgia continues to fulfill its obligations and observe the recommendations of NATO accord ing to the following principle: “More NATO in Georgia and more Georgia in NATO.” Photo: Ministry of Defence.
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Georgia today is a worthy, strategic partner of NATO, a reliable ally and the most compatible aspirant to the organisation in the region, said Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Gharibashvili earlier today.
With the tireless efforts of our soldiers, our country, as a reliable partner, has made a significant contribution to the architecture of Euro-Atlantic security. It is a great merit of our soldiers that Georgia contributes significantly to strengthening the security of the Euro-Atlantic space”, Gharibashvili said.
Gharibashvili noted that Georgia continues to fulfill its obligations and observe the recommendations of NATO according to the following principle: “More NATO in Georgia and more Georgia in NATO.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has praised the efforts of the Georgian government against the coronavirus, saying that the country is coping with the virus successfully. Stoltenberg phoned Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani to relay this message and say that the NATO foreign ministerial on April 3-4 will be held in a restricted manner, Georgian Foreign Ministry said. “NATO stands by the Georgian government and its people in the fight against the coronavirus,” the foreign ministry cited Stoltenberg as saying.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell says that when the coronavirus is ‘turning the world upside down’ he ‘cannot think of a better place to be right now than here in Georgia.’Hartzell states that there are no easy answers regarding COVID-19 and that the EU is suffering much from the virus.“Just look at the pictures coming out of Spain and Italy these days. In this context I would like to congratulate the Georgian government and the Georgian politicians for doing what all evidence suggest is the right approach – to act early and to act robustly,” Hartzell said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said ahead of the Munich Security Conference yesterday that Georgia is “a close partner” of the alliance. “We work closely with Georgia. We support them on their efforts to implement reform, but we also welcome the fact that Georgia provides support to NATO in many different ways”, Stoltenberg stated.
NATO Foreign Ministers have decided to deepen their partnerships with Georgia and Ukraine including with exercises in the strategic Black Sea region. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this includes joint work to counter hybrid warfare, as well as efforts to share more air traffic radar data, “making the skies safer for all”.
Georgian Defence Forces units will replace their aging hardware and arms for modern, NATO-standard models in an overhaul taking place this year, Minister of Defence Irakli Garibashvili told the parliament earlier today.