Meeting of Georgian Defense Minister with U.S. delegation
10 September | 17:14 Print Download

Minister of Defence of Georgia Irakli Alasania hosted the government delegation from the United State headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Thomas O. Melia.

The delegation includes representatives from the U.S Departments of State, Defense and Justice. The Georgian side was represented by Chief of the Joint Staff of GAF COL Irakli Dzneladze, Deputy Ministers of Defence Tamar Karosanidze and Mikheil Darchiashvili.

Bilateral cooperation issues in the defence field between the U.S. and Georgia was a main topic of discussion. The Georgian side familiarized the foreign visitors with the current defence reforms and the concrete steps taken for enhancing transparency and parliamentary control with the Defence Ministry. A special attention was dedicated to Georgia`s integration into NATO.

Discussions referred to the issues of human resources management and military education too. The attendees discussed pre-election environment in the country and stressed the importance of conducting free and fair elections.

The delegation members expressed interest in voting procedures within the armed forces. As Minister underlined, the military personnel will be able to make a free choice in the elections. During the meeting the sides emphasized that a pre-election environment in Georgia is much better in 2013 as compared to past years.