On Monday, July 1, Minister Alasania will meet with Minister Olekas at the Ministry of National Defence, the meeting officials will sign an updated bilateral agreement between Lithuania and Georgia regarding defence cooperation.
On July 2 and 3 the Minister of Defence of Georgia will be attending one of the first events of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union – a high-level workshop on the Eastern Partnership (EaP) organised at the Ministry of National Defence. On July 2 he will deliver an announcement in a separate session of the workshop dedicated to the EU role in ensuring security in neighbouring regions.
Lithuania and Georgia have been developing defence cooperation since approving the first agreement on cooperation in defence area in 2001. Lithuania extends political and practical support to Georgia’s European integration aspirations, i.e. Lithuania renders assistance for Georgia’s reform of the national armed forces and defence system and the enhancement of administrative capability of the country’s defence sector.
Since 2010 Lithuania and Latvia have been running the Public Relations Team of NATO-Georgia Professional Development Programme (PDP). The Ministry of National Defence delegates specialists for training the Team on a regular basis.
Representatives of the Georgian Armed Forces are invited to attend international courses for officers and study the English language at the Lithuanian Military Academy, to study at international NCO instructors’ courses at the Lithuanian Armed Forces School, to attend medical staff courses at the Military Medical Service, etc., Lithuania also provides financing for the studies of the Georgian officers at the Baltic Defence College in Tartu, Estonia.
From 2007 Georgia has been delegating military medics to serve in the Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team of Ghor province, Afghanistan, a part of the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
During his stay in Lithuania the Georgian Defence Minister will also meet with Artūras Paulauskas, Chairman of the Committee on National Security and Defence of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius, he will also visit the Lithuanian Military Academy and familiarise with the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence in Vilnius.
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