In January, the Protection Division notified Congress of its intent to fund $33 million in safety help for Georgia.
“At this time, I am happy to announce that we have accepted Georgia for the risk-assessed fee schedule so Georgia will be capable of request and purchase important navy capabilities extra simply,” stated Secretary of Protection Lloyd J. Austin III, who hosted a go to by Georgian Protection Minister Juansher Burchuladze on the Pentagon as we speak.
“This announcement displays the worth that we place on our bilateral protection relationship and our partnership,” Austin added.
For 3 a long time, the US supported Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Austin famous.
“Georgia deepened its ties to the West and supported its path to Euro-Atlantic integration. And over that point, Georgia has made vital contributions to international safety,” Austin stated.
Georgian navy models have served and sacrificed alongside U.S. and NATO forces in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, he stated.
“Georgia was the biggest per capita troop contributor to the NATO mission in Afghanistan,” Austin famous.
“We deeply admire Georgia’s outsized impact on safety and stability within the South Caucasus and world wide and our safety partnership continues to deepen,” he stated.
Georgia is a part of the Ukraine Protection Contact Group, which met at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Jan. 20.
“Georgia’s participation within the contact group helps us all strengthen Ukraine’s capability to defend itself and to bolster the rules-based worldwide border that retains us all safe. And that is essential as Ukraine continues to struggle bravely towards Russia’s unprovoked and unjust invasion,” Austin stated.
In October 2021, Austin and Burchuladze met in Georgia, the place the secretary introduced the Georgia Protection and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative.
“This can be a new bilateral program to make vital reforms within the Georgian navy, Georgian ministry of protection and armed forces and to strengthen their territorial protection and resilience capability,” Austin stated.
Burchuladze stated Georgia values its strategic partnership with the U.S., “which is crucial for Georgia’s protection and peaceable and secure improvement. We treasure our partnership, our shared beliefs, values and pursuits, which we now have been defending collectively over the previous three a long time.”
Georgia protection forces proudly serve alongside U.S. and allied troops in essentially the most harmful spots, he stated.
Burchuladze talked about that Russia not solely invaded Ukraine; it earlier invaded Georgia.
The Russo-Georgian Warfare occurred in August 2008 within the Georgian areas of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
