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The News in Brief

Wednesday, January 28
NATO official: Georgia is ready for NATO feature

NATO Deputy Secretary General says all tools are in place to move forward with Georgia’s aspiration in Euro-Atlantic structures.

NATO high official Alexander Vershbow gave an interview to the Georgian Public Broadcaster’s (GPB) news program ‘Moambe’ and spoke about his upcoming visit to Tbilisi and NATO Training Center planned to be opened in Georgia.

The Alliance again reaffirmed its commitment to the decision adopted at the 2008 Bucharest Summit and underlined that the Alliance strongly supported Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, Vershbow said to the Georgian journalist in Brussels.

Vershbow believed that the NATO training center in Georgia would be launch by the end of 2015 and would have symbolic, political and practical importance.

Exact opening date and place where the Centre will be established have not been yet decided, Vershbow said to the Georgian Public Broadcaster and added that more details would be known after his visit to Tbilisi on January 29.

We are still working on model of cooperation in practice. I can tell you that these countries will have access to NATO consultations, they will participate in different types of exercises, which in turn will help the armed forces to fully close to NATO standards ", Vershbow said.

NATO Deputy Secretary General highlighted that Georgia had made a significant contribution to strengthening Euro-Atlantic security and emphasized Georgia's participation in the ISAF operations and in a new, NATO-led mission called Resolute Support.

I do not want to speculate about this issue. I think after we select proper place the center will start functioning and this will happen by the end of 2015. We think that this is a demonstration of NATO’s attitude towards Georgia. As well as this will be recognition of the high quality of Georgia’s armed forces which they have repeatedly demonstrated in our operations, for example in Afghanistan,” he said.

Moreover, the Alliance expressed its readiness to take an active part as Georgia moved to realize the substantial package offered by NATO at the Wales Summit last year.

My biggest disappointment was that I cannot manage visit in Georgia last year. Visit is the best way to assess Georgia as the NATO ally country and its progress on the path to NATO aspiration. Now we will have experts and advisers group in Georgia. We will work together on opening of NATO-Georgia joint training center. We encourage the Georgian side in this process. We will prepare basis and place to conduct joint exercises on the Georgia’s territory,” NATO Deputy Secretary General said.

Furthermore, NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow will discuss about strengthening democratic institutions, the rule of law and the judiciary during his visit in Tbilisi.

When I talk about strengthening democratic institutions, the rule of law, judicial reform, of course, more needs to be done. These are issues that should unite the whole society, therefore, a team approach is needed, and everyone should take responsibility to carry out reforms. We want to see Georgia’s continuing progress in the direction of European and Euro-Atlantic standards,” Vershbow said to the Georgian broadcaster.

Meanwhile, NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow will arrive in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on January 29 and while here, will meet Georgian high officials and discuss Georgia's implementation of the Substantial Package NATO offered to Georgia at the NATO Summit in Wales in September 2014. (Agenda.ge)



Location for NATO-Georgia training center selected

As Head of the Parliamentary Security Committee Irakli Sesiashvili told InterPressNews, the process of constructing a NATO-Georgia training center is not public I information.

“Location, structure and construction of the center is classified information and I cannot divulge it,’- Sesiashvili said.

On January28-29 NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow will visit Georgia. He will visit the location for the future center within the meeting’s framework. (IPN)



Parliamentary Majority doesn’t support their own initiative

The Representatives of the parliamentarian Majority proposed to arrange closed session on Iuri Vazagashvili’s murder case, but other part of the majority dropped the proposal.

The MPs say that the investigation on Yuri Vazagashvili’s case just began. They say that the publicity of the case won’t be appropriate for investigation. Gigla Agulashvili, the member of ruling coalition says it is too early to get details about the investigation. He underlines that such session may be held on the case of Zura Vazagashvili, Iuri Vazagashvili’s son who was killed under the United National Movement government in 2006. (Rustavi2)