Tbilisi: Minister of Defense Irakli Gharibashvili hosted the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America Kelly Degnan to Georgia . At the meeting, the sides summarized the issues of 2021 cooperation in the field of defense, jointly implemented projects and discussed the plans for the current year.
According to the Minister of Defense, cooperation between Georgia and its main strategic partner, the United States, has never been as strong as it is today. Irakli Gharibashvili emphasized the important role and efforts of Kelly Degnan in this process and thanked the American diplomat.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the Minister briefed the US Ambassador on the long-term plan for the development of the Georgian Defense Forces and said that in 2021 and in the coming years, strengthening defense capabilities, modernizing weapons, increasing air defense and armor capabilities, compatibility with NATO will continue.
In the framework of bilateral cooperation in 2021, the focus will be on the successful completion of the Georgian Defense Readiness Program (GDRP), the development of intelligence and cyber defense capabilities, the strengthening of special operations forces, joint military exercises planned in Georgia and joint participation in international peacekeeping missions.
The US Ambassador expressed support for the ongoing reforms in the Georgian Defense Forces and readiness to further deepen cooperation.
The meeting was attended by the First Deputy Minister of Defense of Georgia, Lela Chikovani and the US Defense Attaché, Colonel Stephanie Begley.