Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Air Chief Marshal Stuart Peach, arrived in Tbilisi on April 29, where he attended the 30th-anniversary ceremony of the Georgian Defense Forces. The Air Chief Marshal met with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze, and the Chief of Georgian Defense Forces, Major General Giorgi Matiashvili.
At the meeting, the President of Georgia and the NATO Military Committee Chairperson touched upon the forthcoming NATO summit, set to take place in Brussels on June 14. The two emphasized the importance of the Alliance’s open door policy, and “Georgia’s representation at the summit in this context,” President Zurabishvili’s Office reported. The President briefed Air Chief Marshal Peach on the “dire humanitarian situation” in Georgia’s Russia-occupied regions, “which further deteriorated during the pandemic.”
The Georgian Government Administration’s press office reported that PM Garibashvili and the Air Chief Marshal talked about deepening collaboration between Georgia and the Alliance, Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, the role of the Black Sea in ensuring collective security, as well as the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package.
During the meeting with Defense Minister Burchuladze, the sides discussed the security environment in the region, issues stemming from the Russian occupation of Georgian regions, the transformation of Georgia’s defense forces, and Georgia’s contribution in the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, the Defense Ministry’s press office said.
Major General Matiashvili also hosted Air Chief Marshal Peach, with the two discussing the importance of greater NATO presence in the region, the role of the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package in terms of strengthening interoperability with NATO, as well as Georgia’s future participation in international missions, among others.
Also Read:
- Georgian Leaders Mark 30 Years of Defense Forces
- NATO SecGen, Georgian President Talk Euro-Atlantic Integration, Black Sea Security
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