GEORGIA-NATO/STOLTENBERG NATO says training centre in Georgia is step to membership

Record ID: 142268

  • Title: GEORGIA-NATO/STOLTENBERG NATO says training centre in Georgia is step to membership
  • Date: 27th August 2015
  • Summary: STOLTENBERG, GARIBASHVILI AND KHIDASHELI WALKING PAST HONOUR GUARD TROOPS STANDING IN FORMATION STOLTENBERG, GARIBASHVILI AND KHIDASHELI WALKING GEORGIAN TROOPS STANDING IN FORMATION CLOSE OF ARM PATCH ON SLEEVE OF SERVICEMAN READING: "NRF" (NATO RESPONSE FORCE) VARIOUS OF GEORGIAN SERVICEMEN AT CEREMONY
  • Embargoed: 11th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Georgia
  • Country: Georgia
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA463SR0ETY2J96W86CM1HNP3ZG
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: NATO said a new training centre opened in Georgia on Thursday (August 27) would help the former Soviet republic to move closer to membership in the military alliance, a prospect sharply opposed by neighbouring Russia.
    Georgia's government has long hoped to join the alliance. But Russia, which fought a 2008 war with Georgia over two Moscow-backed breakaway regions, has said such a move would threaten its security.
    "The inauguration of the joint training and evaluation centre our cooperation will grow deeper. Georgian forces will grow more interoperable with NATO, NATO will be more present in Georgia and we will be more visible in Georgia, and Georgia's commitment to international peace and security will grow even more," Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General, said at the opening ceremony of the joint training and evaluation centre at the Krtsanisi settlement outside Tbilisi.
    Stoltenberg on Thursday said the centre was part of a package of measures to boost Georgia's defence capabilities agreed at a summit last September.
    The centre will provide theoretical and practical training for Georgian soldiers and officers by NATO personnel.
    With about 885 soldiers, Georgia is the second-largest contributor of troops after the United States to NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.
    Georgian Prime Minister Irakly Garibashvili said the training centre was not aimed against any country.
    "This training centre is not aimed against any neighbouring country. It will serve regional security, peace and stability in the region. It will help to strengthen security and more importantly it will be very important for our soldiers, for improving their professionalism," Garibashvili told reporters in the Georgian capital Tbilisi.
    Stoltenberg said the centre was a step toward NATO membership for Georgia.
    "All these efforts help Georgia to move closer to your aspiration of NATO membership. Georgia has the necessary tools to continue to move forward towards membership."
    NATO has already agreed in principle that Georgia should one day become a member. But analysts say the process has been delayed by member countries' reluctance to further provoke Russia.
    Relations between NATO and Russia have been tense since last year's overthrow of a Kremlin-backed president in Kiev and Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.
    NATO has since boosted its military presence in eastern Europe, saying it has evidence that Russia orchestrated and armed a pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies supporting the rebellion.
    Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday Russia considers the opening of the NATO training centre in Georgia provocative.
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