Janis Sarts: "Ministry of Defence is one of the most effective governmental institutions in Georgia"
Friday, April 11
Deputy Minister of Defence of Georgia Mikheil Darchiashvili met with State Secretary of Latvia Janis Sarts. Defence Attache of Latvia to Georgia LTC Janis Dreimanis also attended the meeting held in the MoD. The Latvian delegation members are paying visit to Georgia within the frames of NATO Week.
The sides discussed bilateral cooperation issues between Georgia and Latvia. The members of the Latvian delegation reaffirmed their support towards Georgia`s European and Euro-Atlantic integration. The Regional Security environment, cyber security and Georgia`s cooperation with partner countries were discussed at the meeting with Mikheil Darchiashvili.
“Latvia is a strategic partner of Georgia which firmly supports Georgia`s accession into NATO and EU. We have an efficient mutual cooperation in the field of defence. We have discussed the ongoing integration process, the contribution provided by Georgia and Latvia to the NATO-led operations and future cooperation plans. I`d like to underline that the Latvian side positively evaluates the current processes and reforms in the MoD. It is without doubt that Latvia will be one of the firm supporters of Georgia at the upcoming NATO Summit”, said Deputy Minister of Defence Mikheil Darchiashvili.
State Secretary of Latvia Janis Sarts summed up the visit to Georgia and the outcomes of the meeting. “It is NATO Week that has started in Georgia. We have come here to note this event, also which is I think important that it is the ten year anniversary since Latvia together with other Baltic States and four other countries joined NATO so we think it is a good time to talk about how it was when we were trying to join NATO and the fact that many consider that it is a very normal thing that Latvia is part of both NATO and EU. I think the year we were invited not too many really believed it might happen. So there is no such thing as impossible goals. What is important is of course that a lot of effort has to be put into making this a reality. What we spoke about during this visit is our bilateral cooperation. We were just gladly noting today that it has enlarged considerably. We also discussed the upcoming NATO Summit in Wales, our cooperation in working towards Georgia receiving the Membership Action Plan (MAP) and what should be done and what are the main focus points. Of course we discussed events in Ukraine, events in Crimea and how does it affect Georgia's security, Baltic security, European security. We both agreed that is has a large, long-lasting impact and we don't yet know how far these events will go. We are confident that it will change the European security architecture and also the way how Europe and NATO looks at Russia. One more thing I would like to take note of is when talking with my colleagues at NATO and the EU, it is clear they recognize the good work the Defence Ministry has been doing in preparing Georgia for NATO membership. Many colleagues said they see that the Ministry of Defence is one of the most effective governmental institutions in Georgia. So I would commend my colleagues for the job that has been accomplished and encourage to keep up this job and to try to produce as good results as possible because only on the good results, good security, sort of overall situation and the circumstances Georgia can receive invitation to accede to a Membership Action Plan", said Janis Sarts.
