US Defense Secretary welcomes Georgia's “outsized effect” on regional security, announces more assistance
The US official also stressed the service and sacrifice of Georgian peacekeeping units alongside US and NATO forces in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. Photo: Reuters
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United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Thursday said his country “deeply appreciated” Georgia's “outsized effect” on security and stability in the South Caucasus region and around the world.
In his remarks at a Washington meeting with his Georgian counterpart Juansher Burchuladze, Austin noted the security partnership between the two states was continuing to deepen, and revealed an assistance effort for Georgia.
Today, I'm pleased to announce that we've approved Georgia for the risk-assessed payment schedule so Georgia will be able to request and acquire vital military capabilities more easily. This announcement reflects the value that we place on our bilateral defence relationship and our partnership”, Austin said.
“Georgia deepened its ties to the West and supported its path to Euro-Atlantic integration. And over that time, Georgia has made significant contributions to global security”, Austin noted.
I spoke with ???????? Minister of Defense Juansher Burchuladze from @ModGovGe to discuss the enduring U.S. commitment to help Georgia strengthen its deterrence and defensive capabilities, Georgia’s ongoing defense reforms, and security challenges facing Georgia and the South Caucasus. pic.twitter.com/RhbrLoPCn2
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) February 9, 2023
The US official also stressed the service and sacrifice of Georgian peacekeeping units alongside US and NATO forces in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
In October 2021, Austin and Burchuladze met in Georgia, where the US Secretary announced the Georgia Defense and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative.
He said the package was designed to “make important reforms in the Georgian military, Georgian Ministry of Defence and armed forces and to strengthen their territorial defence and resilience capacity”.
Strategic cooperation between Georgia and the United States in defence and security was discussed on Thursday in a meeting between the Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze and his American counterpart Lloyd Austin.
Kelly Degnan, the United States Ambassador to Georgia, on Thursday said the Georgian Government had complied with financial sanctions imposed by the international community on Russia following the latter’s invasion of Ukraine “from the very beginning”.
The “difficult” situation in the Russian-occupied territories of Georgia amid the war in Ukraine and the security situation in the Black Sea region were discussed on Monday in a meeting between David Zalkaliani, the Georgian Ambassador to the United States and Louis Bono, the Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations of the US Department of State.
Kelly Degnan, the United States Ambassador to Georgia, on Monday said Georgia had “done many things” in support of Ukraine in the ongoing Russian invasion of the country, particularly noting the humanitarian dimension of the assistance provided by Georgian authorities.
Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze on Thursday hailed the country’s strategic partnership with the United States as “essential for Georgia's defence, deterrence and peaceful and stable development”.
Georgia’s United States Ambassador David Zalkaliani on Friday said his country’s defence and security ties with the US had reached an “all-time high”, in comments on the meeting between the top defence officials of the two countries in the Pentagon on Thursday that came together with an announcement of additional $33 million in security aid for Georgia.
The important programmes, carried out with the support of the United States for strengthening Georgia’s defence capabilities, were discussed on Saturday in a meeting between Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze and General Daniel Hokanson, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau of the US.
Georgia’s National Security Council, chaired by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, on Tuesday discussed the global and regional security environment, including the current hostilities in Ukraine and the challenges facing Georgia, as well as ongoing processes in Georgia's Russian-occupied regions, the Government Administration said.