18 June 2008
On 18 June 2008 the financial management agreement for the NATO Trust Fund Project with Georgia was signed at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels. The Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, Robert F. Simmons, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Ms. Eka Tkeshelashvili, attended the event.
The project led by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, is the second Partnership for Peace Trust Fund Project aimed at destroying stockpiles of missiles in Georgia, contributing significantly to the security and stability throughout the region.
The first initiative resulted in the destruction of some 530 surface-to-air guided missiles between 2003 and 2006. This second project will focus on the dismantling of 1 080 surface-to-air S-8 missiles, as well as 5 724 Alazan and 1 976 Kristall anti-hail rockets. It is expected to be completed within 12 months.
The formal launch of the project, which took place in October 2007, was the trigger to start raising funds. The financial management agreement formalizes pledges by contributors and helps to ensure that the funding is sufficient to carry out the project.
The project costs are estimated at 478,000 euros and the Luxembourg-based NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) serves as the executing agent.
Other countries that have contributed to the project are Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States. Georgia will also make a substantial contribution in kind.
