U.S. hints at military alliance with Georgia

During a briefing in Georgian capital Tbilisi US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza avoided answering the question whether the US intends to sign a military assistance treaty with Georgia.Matthew Bryza said that the whole world knows that US and Georgia are friends. He also said that right now there is no need to talk about any special treaty, war or war operations.

 

In compliance with the Concept of National Security of Georgia, Georgia’s strategic partners are the US, EU, Ukraine and Turkey. The US has been providing political and economic assistance to Georgia since mid ‘90s.

   

The US military experts have been training five battalions of Georgian Armed Forces for 6 years, as part of the bilateral cooperation agreement since 2002. These servicemen are now part of the Georgian contingents fighting the war in Iraq (there are about 2,000 Georgian soldiers as part of the US occupational force).

 

Georgia is planning to send 200 soldiers to Afghanistan, who will join the Dutch and French occupational forces by the end of 2008.

Kavkaz Center