Despite Russias very negative reaction towards planned joint Georgia-NATO training center, the alliance is firm in resolve to go ahead with this plan and have the facility in Georgia before the end of this year, NATO Deputy Secretary General, Alexander Vershbow, said in Tbilisi.

Setting up of a joint training and evaluation center in Georgia is part of that substantial package, offered to Georgia by NATO at its summit in Wales in September.

During his two-day visit to Georgia, the NATO deputy secretary general also toured the Vaziani training range outside Tbilisi on January 30, which is one of the potential locations for the planned joint training center. Vershbow said that Vaziani is one of the strong candidates, but there are some other options as well. An assessment team from NATO is expected to visit Georgia tentatively in February that will look into different possibilities in order to pick the location for the planned training and evaluation center, he said.

Speaking to an audience at the Tbilisi-based think-tank, Atlantic Council of Georgia, Vershbow said that NATO and Georgia have yet to flesh out the goals and purposes of the center.

He said that it has to be determined whether the focus will be primarily on command post exercises or there will also be capacities for field exercises with participation of troops from multiple countries. The hope is that it will be the latter, Vershbow said.

He also said that the centre could host live and simulated trainings and certification for allied and partner military units, in particular for units committed to the NATO Response Force, and it could also host exercises and training in support of NATOs Connected Forces initiative.

Vershbow said that the training and evaluation center will be the most visible element of a NATO presence in Georgia and also is the most visible element of the substantial package of cooperation agreed at the Wales summit.

He also said that the substantial package of cooperation contains all the tools necessary for Georgia to meet its membership aspirations.

Its implementation, Vershbow said, requires important political and financial commitments from both NATO and Georgia.

But we have already made good progress in finding the necessary resources, he said, adding that the work is expected to be further advanced when NATO and Georgian defense ministers meet in the NATO-Georgia Commission in Brussels on February 5.

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NATO Deputy Secretary General on Planned Training Center in Georgia