Soldiers can serve near their homes
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Thursday, July 21
Minister of Defence Tinatin Khidasheli has voiced a new initiative, which enabled Georgian soldiers serve near their homes after compilation of first military contracts.
The Minister stressed if a soldier decided to stay in the Army after the completion of their first contract, it signified the serviceman's wish to serve their country on operations.
“In such a situation the state should also provide relevant conditions for its soldiers,” Khidasheli said.
The Minister also stressed that soldiers living far from their homes suffer due to transport expenses than others having military bases near to their accommodation.
Before her one-week trip to the United States (US) on July 18, the Minister also handed gifted accommodation to 42 soldiers who suffered wounds in the line of duty.
The Minister announced that in the near future, 30 more soldiers would receive flats in the special military settlement in Tbilisi, which was constructed with state budget money.
Speaking about her US trip, Khidasheli stressed that the major focus of her scheduled meetings held in America would concern the Memorandum on Deepening the Defense and Security Partnership between the US and Georgia, signed on July 6 in Tbilisi between Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and US Secretary of State John Kerry.
"Our mission is simple - we will start the implementation of the Memorandum. I hope that as a result of our week's work we will manage to set all needs and interest for Georgia and its armed forces,” stated Khidasheli.
According to the Prime Minister, after coming back from the US, Khidasheli will leave her post as she is a member of the Republican Party, which has stated its intent to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections independently, rather than as part of the Georgian Dream coalition to which it currently belongs.
