Georgian Defense Minister Levan Izoria will visit Finland, Sweden and Estonia on January 23-28, the Ministry of Defense reported.
During his visit in Finland, Minister Izoria will meet his Finnish counterpart, Jussi Niinistö, Finnish Chief of Defense Jarmo Lindberg and Foreign Minister Timo Soini. The Georgian delegation will also attend the briefing on the reserve and mobilization system in Finland, according to the Georgian Ministry of Defense.
From Finland, the Defense Minister will leave for Sweden, where he will attend the official welcoming ceremony at the Karlberg Military Academy and meet his Swedish colleague, Peter Hultqvist.
Following the bilateral meeting on January 24, Minister Izoria and Minister Hultqvist will address the seminar at the Society and Defense, Swedish think tank specializing on security and defense issues. The seminar, titled “Sweden and Georgia – Defense Cooperation in a Turbulent World” will explore a number of Georgia-related questions, including the country’s foreign and security priorities, its NATO and EU membership process and the counter-measures to Russian steps in the region.
In Sweden, Minister Izoria will also meet the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces Micael Bydén and representatives of Swedish Parliament’s Committee on Defense.
From Sweden, the Defense Minister will travel to Tartu, Estonia, where he will visit the Baltic Defense College and talk to the Georgian students of the Academy’s Joint Command and General Staff Course.
In Estonia, Meetings will be held with Defense Minister Margus Tsahkna and Deputy Commander of the Defense Forces Indrek Sirel, according to the Georgian Ministry of Defense.