Dept of State: US to Continue Improving Georgia’s Military Readiness
The United States (US) Department of State says the USA will continue to work with Georgian leadership to improve Georgia’s military readiness and resilience within the framework of the Memorandum on Deepening the Defense and Security Partnership.
The statement was released by the Department of State’s Office of the Spokesperson on September 13, saying the Security and Defense Working Group of the US-Georgia Strategic Partnership Commission met in Washington last week.
The Department of State acknowledges Georgia’s role as a strategic partner in the region, and as a steadfast partner promoting stability and security around the globe.
The statement reads that both parties will continue to build on the success of Exercises Noble Partner 17 and Agile Spirit 17, adding they increased the scope of cooperation and improved interoperability.
The sides exchanged perspectives on the regional security situation and reviewed updates to national strategy documents in response to emerging challenges.
The working group also underscored the importance of a durable and strategic approach to defense and security cooperation, adding it increases the security of each country and strengthens regional stability and global security.
The meeting participants also mentioned the July 31-August 1 visit of the US Vice President Mike Pence to Georgia, who stated that the United States stands by the 2008 NATO Bucharest statement and strongly supports Georgia’s aspirations to become a member of NATO.
“The Vice President also noted that Georgia, a key strategic partner, already exceeds NATO’s goal of spending two percent of gross domestic product on defense,” the statement reads.
The Department of State reports that each side confirmed its commitment to the full implementation of the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package, which advances Georgian preparation for NATO membership and affirmed the additional cooperation activities discussed in Brussels to prepare Georgia for membership.
The sides also expressed commitment to strengthen Black Sea security cooperation, and recognized Georgia’s role as a special partner in the region.
The US side expressed appreciation for Georgia’s significant contributions to NATO’s mission in Afghanistan.
Recent developments in Georgia’s occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia were also discussed at the meeting, with the United States emphasizing its unwavering support for Georgia’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and calling on Russia to withdraw its forces from Georgia’s occupied regions, in accordance with the 2008 ceasefire agreement.
“The United States expressed strong concern about ongoing so-called ‘borderization’ and closure of crossing points,” the statement reads.
Moreover, the group members discussed the US-Georgia defense and security partnership and agreed that bilateral defense cooperation will help enhance the readiness and self-defense capabilities of the Georgian Armed Forces.
It was noted that Georgia’s best security asset is its continued pursuit of democratic and economic reforms. The US noted Georgia’s progress in this regard, particularly highlighting the “remarkable progress in defense reforms, which has been exceptional over the past year.”
The US government noted the Strategic Partnership Commission was "the primary mechanism for organizing and prioritzing the broad and deepening cooperation between the US and Georgia”.
The first meeting of the Strategic Partnership Commission, held on June 22, 2009, launched four bilateral working groups on priority areas identified in the Charter: democracy, defense and security, economic, trade and energy issues, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
Thea Morrison