NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Defence Minister of Georgia Mindia Janelidze at NATO HQ. The Georgian delegation led by Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili pays official visit to Brussels.
NATO-Georgia relations and Substantial Package Georgia received at NATO Wales Summit were the main issues of the discussion. As NATO Secretary General outlined Substantial Package will strengthen Georgia's defence capabilities, and help Georgia move closer to membership. "Georgia is one of our most committed partners. And Georgia plays an outstanding role in our operations. The Wales Summit marked an important milestone in our relations. We agreed a Substantial Package of measures that will strengthen your country's defence capabilities, and help Georgia move closer to membership. We also invited Georgia to join our initiative to enhance interoperability with partners who make significant contributions to the Alliance. Today we discussed how to translate these initiatives in actions. NATO will support defence capacity building in Georgia through embedded trainers", stated Jens Stoltenberg.
The sides also referred to the importance of establishment of Georgia-NATO Training Center. "The Center has great importance for increasing Georgia's capabilities. At the meeting we discussed further cooperation between NATO and Georgia, including Substantial Package that Georgia received at NATO Wales Summit. The plan that Georgia was granted at Wales Summit will be carried out according to the schedule" - statted Defence Minister Mindia Janelidze after the meeting with NATO Secretary General. As Jens Stoltenberg outlined, the centre will help Georgian forces to maintain their ability to work with NATO and will prepare Georgia and other partners for future contributions to the NATO Response Force.
Georgia's contribution in ISAF mission and engagement in Resolute Support mission after 2015 were also discussed at the meeting. The sides also talked about the regional security issue.