Georgian Leaders Mark 30 Years of Defense Forces

Georgian leaders, President Salome Zurabishvili, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze, and Parliament Speaker Kakha Kuchava attended on April 29 a 30th-anniversary ceremony of the country’s defense forces.

The event was held at the Vaziani Military Base near the capital Tbilisi, a day before the anniversary on April 30, which coincided with the Good Friday holiday this year.

In her remarks at the ceremony, President Salome Zurabishvili said “Georgian army is united, apolitical, and loyal to the country and its people.” “Today we have defense forces of a high standard, which has for multiple years participated in international peace missions and contributed to the fight for global peace and security,” she added.

President Zurabishvili stressed that Georgia’s key goals, de-occupation of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia and Euro-Atlantic integration, remain unchanged. “To attain these, Georgia needs continuous and effective cooperation with our strategic partners,” she added.

On his part, PM Irakli Garibashvili underscored the Georgian Defense Forces’ role as one of the key guarantors of “the country’s sovereignty and freedom.” He said that throughout the 30 years the army has developed into a force that is “modern, motivated, battle-worthy and compatible with NATO.” The Prime Minister vowed to step up efforts for strengthening the forces, modernizing the armaments, and ensuring “dignified social conditions” for service personnel and their families.

Defense Minister Burchuladze said that troops and military doctors in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic helped reinforce the high public confidence in the defense forces. “They showed clearly to everyone, that our army is always ready to honorably stand on guard of the country,” he stressed.

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