Hungarian Minister of Defense Tibor Benkő is paying his first official visit to Tbilisi on September 24-25. He met Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and Defense Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
According to the press release of the Defense Ministry of Georgia during the meeting with his Georgian counterpart on September 25 the parties discussed areas of bilateral defense cooperation, including regional and global security challenges and threats, as well as security architecture of the Black Sea region and NATO-Georgia relations.
The Defense Ministry noted that Minister Garbiashvili thanked his colleague for steadfast support of Georgia’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, as well as for the active participation of Hungarian officers in the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM).
According to the press release, the parties signed a bilateral cooperation protocol, aimed at furthering the ties between the two countries’ Defense Ministries.
Defense Minister Benkő also met PM Giorgi Gakharia, with Defense Minister Garibashvili in attendance. According to the Prime Minister’s Press Office, they discussed various areas of cooperation, including in security, defense, trade and economic domains. The Ministers also touched upon future cooperation prospects, highlighting the progress along Georgia’s path of Euro-Atlantic integration.
PM’s office stated that Minister Benkő reiterated Hungary’s firm support of Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations, territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Defense Ministry of Georgia stated that within the framework of the official visit, Tibor Benkő will also visit and lay a wreath at the memorial of the fallen heroes for the unity and territorial integrity of Georgia on Heroes square. Afterwards the delegation will visit the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Centre (JTEC).
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