Georgia is committed to NATO values
By Tea Mariamidze
Tuesday, May 30
Georgia’s Defense Minister, Levan Izoria, says that Georgia does its best to be committed to the values of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“The main purpose of our reforms is framework of strategic directions defined by NATO…with our policies and reforms, we will defend these important values together,” Izoria stated at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Session in Tbilisi.
The minister noted that Georgia’s main strength is participation in various peacekeeping missions to provide global security.
“We are represented by 871 military servicemen in international missions, both in Afghanistan and in the Central African Republic. We also have one officer in Mali. This is an expression of the fact that we are doing everything not only to take care of our country, but also to ensure observation of rules in the world,” said Izoria.
He also added that the constant training of the Georgian Armed Forces creates real opportunities for NATO membership.
The Minister said that the United States-supported Georgian Defense Preparedness Program is one of the key components in this regard.
“Within this program, nine battalions will be fully prepared within 3 years. This process takes us institutionally close to the alliance and the consistent exercises of our servicemen create real possibilities for Georgia’s membership in NATO,” he added.
Moreover, Izoria spoke about the changes made to the defense ministry and noted that reforms are implemented based on the analysis of the strategic decisions adopted at the last two NATO summits.
“We identified priorities of the defense reform. We implemented significant reorganization and optimization of our defense structure,” he said, and added that this process would strengthen Georgia’s combat readiness and make the country more powerful.
The Minister also pointed out that Georgia’s defense capabilities have been improved.
“Anyone who wants to make another aggressive attempt against Georgia will have to think about how Georgia will damage the aggressor with its high level of combat training,” he stressed at the session of the Defense and Security Committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Izoria said that the fact that the NATO PA was held in Tbilisi is a positive signal to Georgia, which means that the alliance is committed to its Open Door policy.
Georgia is the fifth non-member state of alliance, hosting the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Session. The event lasted from May 26 to May 29 and gathered around 600 delegates from NATO member and partner states.
