NATO Envoy, Georgian Officials Discuss Implementation of Substantial Package

NATO Secretary Generals Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai, said implementation of a substantial package, endorsed by the Alliance at the Wales summit for Georgia, is going well.

Appathurai met in Tbilisi on December 4 PM Irakli Garibashvili; Defense Minister Mindia Janelidze; State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Davit Bakradze, as well as parliament speaker Davit Usupashvili and representatives from opposition UNM party.

Speaking at a news conference after meeting the state minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Appathurai said that the focus of his discussions with the Georgian officials was implementation of package of enhanced cooperation to help the country prepare for NATO membership.

I can tell you it [implementation of the package] is going well on the Georgian side and on the NATO side, he said.

The elements of this package include assisting defense capacity building in Georgia through embedded trainers, joint exercises and setting up of a joint NATO-Georgia training center in Georgia.

There will be a lot more Georgia in NATO and lot of NATO in Georgia, Appathurai said.

We welcome very much the speed with which Georgia has been working to define this new joint training center, Appathurai said, adding that NATO defense planning experts are already in Georgia, working closely with the Georgian colleagues on this issue.

He said that what now has to be defined is in essence what kind of training will be provided, what kind of military units and what size of units will be getting training in this center and how it will be integrated into Georgias own requirements and its other partnership activities.

Answers to these questions, Appathurai said, will also help Georgia to decide the best location for this center. I know there are only few options, he added.

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NATO Envoy, Georgian Officials Discuss Implementation of Substantial Package