Lieutenant General Remigijus Baltrėnas, the Director General of NATO’s International Military Staff, visited Georgia from 29 June to 1 July and held talks with senior defence officials in Tbilisi.
Baltrėnas met Georgia’s First Deputy Minister of Defence, Paata Patiashvili, and the Commander of the Georgian Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Giorgi Matiashvili, and also visited the NATO Liaison Office in Tbilisi, the NATO press service announced on Thursday.
Discussions with Georgia’s defence and military leadership covered the results of multi-year cooperation and future NATO–Georgia plans.
Talks also included the Substantial NATO–Georgia Package — a set of NATO-backed initiatives designed to support defence cooperation — and its implementation.
Baltrėnas and Matiashvili also reviewed joint projects under NATO–Georgia military cooperation, including work linked to the NATO–Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC), which Baltrėnas visited during the trip.
Visit included stop at NATO–Georgia training centre
During his visit to JTEC, Baltrėnas laid a wreath in commemoration of Georgian soldiers who died defending Georgia’s territorial integrity and while serving in international missions, NATO said.
He also met representatives of Allied embassies in Tbilisi to exchange views on ongoing areas of work.
Baltrėnas stated that Georgia had made a “valuable contribution” as a partner of the Alliance and referred to the country’s participation in NATO international security missions.
The NATO Liaison Office has operated in Georgia since 2010 and supports the country’s reform efforts and its programme of cooperation with NATO, the organisation said. Georgia contributes to the NATO-led maritime security operation Sea Guardian.
