Georgian NATO Mission Head: “elevated risks” mean Georgia should strengthen self-defence capacity
Dolidze said the strengthening of defence capability would need to incorporate economic factors, a requirement he said would “not be an easy task”. Photo: 1tv.ge
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Georgia needs to strengthen its self-defence capacity while NATO should consider enhancing its cooperation with the country amid “elevated risks”, Viktor Dolidze, the Head of the Georgian Mission to NATO, said on Tuesday.
Dolidze said the strengthening of defence capability would need to incorporate economic factors, a requirement he said would “not be an easy task”.
It is obviously important that Georgia is present during discussions of all important issues, especially in relation to Ukraine and the [Black Sea] region,” Dolidze told TV Imedi.
Georgia’s NATO representative also noted inviting Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze to an extraordinary meeting of NATO defence ministers was a “serious sign of support” for Georgia from the alliance.
The extraordinary meeting of NATO defence ministers will take place on Wednesday, with Burchuladze taking part along with his counterparts from Ukraine, Sweden, Finland and European Union member states.
Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze will take part in an extraordinary meeting of NATO defence ministers on Wednesday, the alliance's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed earlier today.
Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze will take part in an extraordinary meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence on Wednesday in Brussels, the press office of the alliance announced on Monday.
United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin sat down with Minister of Defence of Georgia Juansher Burchuladze in one of the few meetings the American official held at the NATO ministerial in Brussels on Thursday, with the discussion covering questions of strategic cooperation between the partnering countries.
NATO’s “enhanced involvement” in the Black Sea region amid growing security challenges, and reforms being undertaken in Georgia's defence sector were on the agenda as Georgian defence minister Juansher Burchuladze met NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels earlier today.
The issue of Georgia has never been so relevant in NATO, the Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze said on Wednesday.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on the allies of the alliance to “step up” in their support for Georgia following an extraordinary meeting of NATO defence ministers on Wednesday.
Stoltenberg said the ongoing war in Ukraine also put the nearby non-NATO member states, including Georgia, at risk.
NATO must step up individual support for Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a briefing ahead of a summit of alliance leaders on Tuesday.
The United States can continue to do “great work” in countries like Georgia, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday during his testimony in the US Congress on the President's 2023 Budget.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said "stepping up" support for the Alliance partners “under Russian pressure,” including Georgia, would be discussed at the meeting of Foreign Ministers on April 6 and 7.
The Defence Ministry is working to ensure Georgia receives “enhanced practical support” at the upcoming NATO Summit in Madrid, Minister Juansher Burchuladze said on Thursday.