Chief of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan Visits Tbilisi

Commander of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson met Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Defense Minister Levan Izoria in frames of his visit to Tbilisi on November 6-7.

The sides discussed the perspectives of cooperation in defense sphere, as well as the regional situation, according to the Georgian PM’s office.

The U.S. General thanked the Georgian government for its contribution to peacekeeping operations and ensuring global security. The Georgian side reiterated its readiness to further contribute to international peace and stability.

“We agreed on a very interesting format of cooperation,” Izoria said after the meeting with General Nicholson on November 6. “Together with our strategic partners, we plan to implement new readiness program of Georgia as envisaged by the memorandum signed between Georgia and the United States [on deepening the defense and security partnership]."

31 Georgian soldiers died while serving in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. Georgia is the second largest troop contributor to the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. The Georgian troops, whose duties focus on security and rapid reaction force, are deployed in Kabul; at the Bagram Air Field, and Camp Marmal in Mazar-i-Sharif.
    
Georgian Defense Minister Levan Izoria visited Afghanistan last week, where he attended military drills held with the participation of troops from Georgia, Germany and Lithuania as well as the U.S. Air Forces and German armored vehicles.

The Georgian Defense Ministry said that the exercises were held under the plan developed by Georgian peacekeepers, during which “Georgian soldiers demonstrated rapid reaction and coordinated actions with their foreign partners.”

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