Director General of the NATO International Military Staff visits Georgia

While in Tbilisi, Lieutenant General Broeks, Director General of the NATO International Military Staff, met with Mr. Levan Izoria, Minister of Defence. Discussions focussed on progress of ongoing defence reforms, especially with regard to the implementation of the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP). The package aims to strengthen Georgia’s capabilities by offering concrete support, advice and assistance in defence capacity building. General Broeks also thanked Georgia “for its strong commitment to NATO. Georgia has been actively contributing to KFOR and Resolute Support Mission and we are grateful to have such a valued partner”.

In his meeting with Colonel Nikoloz Janjgava, First Deputy Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Broeks was briefed on Georgia’s Total Defence Approach. He underlined how impressed he is by this top-to-bottom approach to defence, “this is the way to ensure a whole-of-nation approach & the effective use of all national resources to defend your country”.

The visit to the Georgian Ministry of Defence was also an opportunity for Lieutenant General Broeks to sit down with Captain Temur Kvantaliani, Commander of the Georgian Coastguard who provided an update on the security situation in the Black Sea and Georgian maritime security. Later, Lieutenant General Broeks addressed the General Staff on “NATO’s continued adaptation”.

In the afternoon, Lieutenant General visited the Joint NATO-Georgia Training and Evaluation Centre (JTEC) which is a key component of the SNGP. The Centre provides combat training and conducts activities to enhance interoperability between Georgian Forces and Armed Forces from NATO countries and partners. The General also had an opportunity meet with the SNGP Core Team and receive a comprehensive briefing on ongoing progress and projects.