Georgia dismissed Russia’s concerns as “groundless”. Georgian Defense Ministry claims AWACS conducted only a demonstration flight above capital city of Tbilisi and Georgia will not be able to use the system unless it joins the NATO.
AWACS plane arrived in Tbilisi on July 8 with the delegation of the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Programme Management Organization, led by Major General Johann Dora.
On July 9 the NATO delegation made a test flight with an AWACS radar plane over the Georgian capital for an hour. Before the flight Major General Dora met with Georgian Defense Minister Davit Tevzadze behind the closed doors.
“During the meeting sides have not signed any document that would envisage use of NATO surveillance systems in Georgia. No document was signed at all,” Head of the Public Relations Office of the Defense Ministry Mirian Kiknadze told Civil Georgia.
He said that this was a fact-finding visit in the frames of the NATO Partnership for Peace Program and two sides discussed bilateral cooperation. After the flight Dora made only a short comment, saying Georgia will have the right to use this plane only after the accession to the NATO.
“During the demonstrative flight the plane has not flown up to the Russian border. The flight was conducted in accordance with the international standards. Russia’s reaction is surprising, since they have no concerns when the Russian planes violate Georgian airspace,” Kiknadze said.
However the military experts say that the AWACS characteristics enable the plane to survey the Russian territory even from the Georgian airspace. AWACS radar “eye” has a 360-degree view of the horizon, and at operating altitudes can observe targets more than 320 kilometers (200 miles) away.
The statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry reads that the appearance of the AWACS plane in Georgia concerns “Russia’s national security,” as AWACS technology “could provide surveillance over a large portion of Russian territory without ever entering the country.”
Military observer at the Radio Liberty Koba Liklikadze says that flight of the AWACS plane was in line of Georgia’s aspiration to join the NATO program, which considers air surveillance data exchange, and would enable the country to control its airspace better.
“The Georgian military experts are able to get acquainted with the leading technologies, used by the NATO member states, including the United States with this kind of demonstrative flights,” Koba Liklikadze told Civil Georgia.
He said that accession to the NATO program on data exchange will enable Georgia to control its air space better. However, he says “the country has to [first] undergo a number of procedures, including the military reform and compliance with the NATO standards.”
This was not the first case of appearance of the foreign spy planes in Georgia. In March, on the eve of the war in Iraq the US reconnaissance aircraft U-2S flew over Georgia. Russia has protested, accusing Washington of using “the Cold War tactics.”
This time Russian Foreign Ministry expressed hope that the Georgian, as well as NATO leadership would take all “necessary measures defuse Russia’s concerns” over appearance of the NATO spy plane near the Russian borders.
