Today the Minister of Defense of Georgia Mindia Janelidze held introductory meeting with the ambassador of US Richard Norland. In the Ministry of Defense there were also US Defense Attache in Georgia, Colonel Mathew Dimik and political officer of the embassy Erick Hahn, reports GHN.
The sides talked about bilateral collaboration between US and Georgia. The attention was paid to the relations in military-political and military-technical spheres. The sides agreed that in the future the relations in security and military spheres will deepen more. As the Minister of Defense stated USA is strategic partner of Georgia and the course of Georgia regarding joining Euro-Atlantic structures in not changed. "The meeting with the ambassador of US was very productive. We discussed the current collaboration between our countries in military-political, military-technical spheres. One more time I want to say that position of our government and ministry is that collaboration with our American and NATO partners will be continued intensively in every platform and format. Intensity will grow. I talked about this to the ambassador. He also expressed readiness. So we plan to represent new initiatives to our partners," stated the Minister of Defense Mindia Janelidze after the end of the meeting.
The ambassador of US Richard Norland estimated the meeting with new Minster positively and stated that close partnership between Georgia and US in Military and Security spheres will be continued in future too: "first of all I want to underline that while of the Ministry of Irakli Alasania was close relations with United States of America. I am glad that the new Minister of Defense Mindia Janelidze invited me in the Ministry of Defense. As he said United States of America is most important partner of Georgia and wanted symbolically US ambassador to be the first guest. This is the sign that we will continue bilateral collaboration in security and defense spheres. The Minister underlined that there will not be any changes and that course of Georgia on Euro-Atlantic space is firm. This is very important message. We agreed that this meeting will be good basis and we will continue in future important and close collaboration in the spheres of security and defense between US and Georgia."