The official visit of the US Secretary of Defense to Georgia has started

During the visit, Lloyd Austin will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili.

The US Secretary of Defense will visit one of the military bases of the Georgian Defense Forces and will attend a joint exercise with the participation of American and Georgian servicemen.

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Juansher Burchuladze held a bilateral meeting with the US Secretary of Defense

Georgia-US Strategic Partnership and Bilateral Cooperation Based on Common Democratic Values, Black Sea and Regional Security, US-Supported Transformation in Georgia’s Defense Forces, World Peace and Security Support Officer, and US Continued Support in Georgia’s NATO Membership – these were the main issues discussed by Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at a bilateral meeting.

The meeting of the colleagues took place at the Ministry of Defense of Georgia after the official welcoming ceremony with the participation of the honor guard and the performance of the US and Georgian national anthems by the military orchestra. Juansher Burchuladze historically assessed the arrival of the US Secretary of Defense in Georgia. As he noted, the visit sends a clear message to the Georgian people that the United States stands with Georgia, while for the region it means that the West has a strong interest in the region and no one can stop the Georgian people from becoming NATO members and part of the civilized world.

Juansher Burchuladze thanked his counterpart for the unwavering support of the US Government in Georgia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. The talks focused on the ongoing US-backed transformation of Georgia’s defense forces and the 10-year development plan, which focuses on developing territorial defense and sustainable combat readiness capabilities.

Topics of discussion were also NATO-Georgia cooperation, US-Georgia multinational exercises and prospects for the practical implementation of the Black Sea Security Concept.