Gov’t opens 1st ever rehabilitation centre for wounded soldiers with US support
The rehabilitation centre was opened in the Tserovani village, central Georgia. Photo: Defence Ministry press office.
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The Georgian government has opened the first ever, modern rehabilitation centre for wounded soldiers in the country with about 4.5 million USD support from the US.
The state which has 20 per cent of its territories occupied [by Russia] is obliged to care about its soldiers,”Gakharia said, thanking the US for financial aid, stating that the Georgian government spent one million GEL for the project.
The Maro Makashvili Rehabilitation Centre, which is located in the village of Tserovani of Mtskheta municipality [near Tbilisi], will provide physical and psychological support for Georgian soldiers.
Georgian and US officials attended the opening ceremony of the centre earlier today.
Gakharia said that the centre “has no equal in the region,” and comes with “ultra-modern equipment and resources” to help wounded soldiers.
He thanked Georgian soldiers “for their devotion and contribution to local and international peace and security.”
Gakharia praised Defence Minister Irakli Garibashvili for his decision to give a monthly salary supplement to wounded soldiers.
Acting US Ambassador to Georgia Elisabeth Rood has stated that America will continue to support its “strategic partner and Georgian soldiers, who have contributed much to international peace and security.”
The US is proud that Georgia is its important partner," Georgian Defence Ministry has cited Rood as saying.
She noted that Georgia has sent more than 13,000 soldiers to Afghanistan over the past eight years, while 8,000 Georgian soldiers served in Iraq, Mali and Central Africa.
Two Georgian peacekeepers have been distinguished for their service within the European Union’s training mission in the Central African Republic, receiving awards from officials in Bangui.
Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Garibashvili has stated that starting from January 2020 wounded or injured Georgian soldiers will receive monthly salary supplements between 200-800 GEL [$69-274] based on their physical condition.
Georgia’s Minister of Defense, Irakli Garibashvili spoke about the main priorities of the ministry in the 2020 budget at a government session today.
The salaries of 7,726 Georgian military servicemen will be raised in 2019-2020, says the Prime Minister of Georgia Mamuka Bakhtadze.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has allocated seven million USD for a five-year education project in Georgia, the government of Georgia reports.
Georgia ranks 49th among 154 countries in the Global Militarization Index (GMI) 2019 with a score of 660.13, reads the report by the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC). The Global Militarization Index expresses the relative weight and importance of the military apparatus of a country in relation to its society as a whole.
For the first time in the history of the Georgian Defence Forces, recruits enrolled in the Basic Combat Training (BCT) course will receive a salary of 500 GEL, announces the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.
US President Donald Trump has proposed a $4.8 trillion budget for the 2021 fiscal year, which offers $0.7 billion aid for the US allies in Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia to counter Russian influence. The budget also provides $24 million for the Global Engagement Center to counter Russian propaganda and disinformation.