- Title: Georgia begins U.S.-led military exercise a day before VP's visit
- Date: 30th July 2017
- Summary: GEORGIAN PRESIDENT GIORGI MARGVELASHVILI STANDING AT PODIUM VARIOUS OF TROOPS LISTENING AND STANDING AT EASE SOLDIERS AT BASE, INTERNATIONAL FLAGS AND GUESTS IN DISTANCE MARGVELASHVILI JOINING U.S. AMBASSADOR TO GEORGIA, IAN KELLY, GEORGIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGI KVIRIKASHVILI AND OTHERS AT VIEWING STAND TROOPS STANDING WITH UKRAINE FLAG VARIOUS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL AT CEREMONY CLOSE OF UNIFORM DETAIL SHOWING U.S. FLAG ON SLEEVES TANKS WITH U.S. FLAGS FLYING AIRCRAFT FLYING OVERHEAD, U.S. FLAG FLYING IN WIND (SOUNDBITE) (English) COMMANDER OF THE U.S. FIRST SQUADRON, SECOND CAVALRY REGIMENT, LIEUTENANT COLONEL ADAM LACKEY, SAYING: "Yeah, the main goal of this exercise is to increase the interoperability with our Georgian partners, because we learn a lot every time we train together." ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIERS WITH GERMAN FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (English) COMMANDER OF THE U.S. FIRST SQUADRON, SECOND CAVALRY REGIMENT, LIEUTENANT COLONEL ADAM LACKEY, SAYING: "Bigger in scale, bigger in scale, bigger in scope. We are going to get more repetitions out of this, we are going to bring complex manoeuvre to the battlefield. We are ramping it up, in terms of our capabilities, and really training with the Georgians harder than ever." SOLDIER LIFTING WEAPON VARIOUS OF SOLDIERS WATCHING ANOTHER DISASSEMBLE WEAPON (SOUNDBITE) (English) FIRST DEPUTY CHIEF OF GENERAL STAFF, COLONEL NIKOLOZ JANJGAVA, SAYING: "This year, Noble Partner 2017 is an exceptional exercise, because more than 2,800 troops from five NATO and three partner countries are participating in this exercise. Georgia is proud to be hosting this exercise because we are working with NATO and U.S. troops for a long period of time. As you know, we are one of the biggest troop contributors for the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. And for us it is very important to have more exercises, more integration with the NATO and U.S. troops." SOLDIERS POSING FOR PHOTO / MAN IN T-SHIRT WITH U.S. STARS AND STRIPES SOLDIERS TALKING, ONE HOLDING SMALL GEORGIAN FLAG (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. AMBASSADOR TO GEORGIA, IAN KELLY, SAYING: "I think this exercise is not directed against any country. What it is all about is to help Georgia grow its capacity to interoperate in international operations, such as the operation in Afghanistan. And it's intended to help integrate Georgia into the community of nations." PEOPLE LOOKING AT TANKS, SOME CLIMBING THEM SOLDIERS LOOKING AT EQUIPMENT SOLDIERS AND CEREMONY ATTENDANTS MILLING ABOUT AT MILITARY BASE
- Embargoed: 13th August 2017 13:37
- Keywords: Georgian army military training exercises United States Europe Vice President Mike Pence Giorgi Kvirikashvili Nato drills
- Location: VAZIANI, GEORGIA
- City: VAZIANI, GEORGIA
- Country: Georgia
- Topics: Defence,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0026RWPZK7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The Georgian army began two weeks of military exercises with the United States and other partner countries on Sunday (July 30), a day before U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visits the ex-Soviet nation.
About 2,800 soldiers from the United States, Britain, Germany, Turkey, Ukraine, Slovenia, Armenia and Georgia were taking part in the manoeuvres, with Washington dispatching an entire mechanised company including several Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks.
The "Noble Partner" exercises are being held in Georgia for the third time. Russian officials had not commented on the event yet, but in previous years Moscow warned that drills could destabilise the region, a charge denied by Georgian officials and U.S. diplomats.
Russia and Georgia fought a war in August 2008 over the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia. Moscow continues to garrison troops there and to support another breakaway region, Abkhazia. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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