Tbilisi. Turkey and Azerbaijan, supposedly, will
join Georgian-USA 2014 military exercises, Defence Minister of Georgia Irakli
Alasania stated at the meeting with Georgian Mass Media's representatives on Tuesday, April 2.
According to Alasania, next year the
Georgian defence department plans to conduct the military drills at the
brigades' level that will "help our
militaries to resolve more important and complicated tasks and increase their
combat readiness".
"On connection with this we will hold
talks, first of all with the USA. The countries of the region, supposedly, will
join these drills. Naturally, we do not conceal that we have special military
cooperation with Turkey and Azerbaijan. We have been holding trilateral
dialogues and the joint staff drills
will be held. Proceeding from this, we think that if the geography of the
participants extends, it will first of all concern these two countries",
Alasania stressed.
While estimating the joint Georgian-USA
military exercises Agile Spirit 2013, that finished on Monday, the head of the
Georgian defence department noted that the exercises promoted Georgia's
rapprochement with NATO.
"These exercises were conducted at
the level of battalions' sub-units. They were special as the joint staff had
been set up jointly with the American side and it commanded the operations. The
joint staff exercises have deepened interaction with our American partners and
NATO", the minister emphasized.
Approximately 350 militaries of the USA
Marine Corps and the 23rd Battalion of the II Infantry Brigade of GAF
participated of the Georgian-USA military exercise Agile Spirit 2013.