Large-scale multinational brigade-level drills of NATO member states and partners, dubbed the NATO-Georgia Exercise 2019, began in Georgia earlier on Monday, the Georgian Defense Ministry told Sputnik
TBILISI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th March, 2019) Large-scale multinational brigade-level drills of NATO member states and partners, dubbed the NATO-Georgia Exercise 2019, began in Georgia earlier on Monday, the Georgian Defense Ministry told Sputnik.
"The opening ceremony is being held today. As you already know, the drills will be held until March 29," the ministry's press service said.
The exercise will be held at the Georgia-NATO Krtsanisi National Training Center, located near the Georgian capital. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is scheduled to visit Georgia soon to attend the drills and meet with the Georgian leadership.
The scale of this year's exercises is expected to be larger than that of the previous ones, held in 2016, with over 340 military personnel from 24 countries set to take part. International humanitarian organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the World Health Organization will monitor the drills.
The NATO-Georgia Exercise 2019 aims at strengthening cooperation between Georgia, and NATO and its partners and boosting Georgian command and control capabilities.
Georgian Defense Minister Levan Izoria has stressed that the drills, as well as cooperation between Georgia and NATO in general, were not targeted against any country.
Georgia has been striving to join NATO for years, with the alliance repeatedly reaffirming its support for Tbilisi's aspirations.
The cooperation between Georgia and NATO began soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The country joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council in 1992 and NATO's Partnership for Peace program two years later. In 2008, NATO leaders allowed for Georgia's membership in the organization provided the country met all the necessary requirements. On its path to EU accession Georgia has been assisted by the NATO-Georgia Commission, established in 2008 to support the country in its reform efforts.
