NATO to help destroy munitions and clean up military sites in Georgia

Georgia and NATO signed, on 1 October, a memorandum opening the way for a joint project aimed at disposing of missile stockpiles and clean up of military sites in Georgia.

The agreement was signed by the Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagarishvili and Peter D. Markey, General Manager of the NATO's Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA), during the Foreign Minister's visit to NATO Headquarters.

Assistance and training

Under the agreement, NATO will provide material assistance and training to carry out the safe disposal of missile stockpiles and the clean up of a former military site close to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

The cost of the project is estimated to be in excess of EUR 1,250,000. The Georgian authorities will contribute in kind. Financial support will be provided by Luxembourg, the lead nation for the project, and other NATO and partner countries.

Working with partner countries

This is the fourth project initiated under NATO's Partnership for Peace Trust Fund, which was established in 2000 to assist partner countries in destroying surplus munitions.

NAMSA is currently overseeing Trust Fund projects to ensure the destruction of surplus ordnance in Ukraine and Moldova, having earlier this year completed the destruction of 1.6 million anti-personnel landmines in Albania.