NATO intends to continue close political dialogue with Georgia

By Trend

Looking ahead, NATO continues close political dialogue with Georgia, as the country is the Alliance’s closest and long-standing partner, Javier Colomina, NATO Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia told Trend.

According to Colomina, practical cooperation between NATO and Georgia includes working together with the NATO Command Structure in order to strengthen Georgia’s defense capabilities and interoperability with the Alliance.

"Thanks to this cooperation, which has over the years been further bolstered through the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package - Georgian Defense Forces are more capable and NATO interoperable than ever before," Colomina said.

The Special representative noted that the Joint Force Training Centre (JFTC) has been providing support to the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC) since 2016.

"NATO JTEC provides training and evaluation to Georgian and international forces aimed at enhancing Georgia’s defense capabilities, increasing its interoperability with NATO, and contributing to strengthening regional and international security. As such, the NATO Joint Force Training Center, together with NATO Land Command Headquarters, has been supporting JTEC in preparing and conducting the NATO-Georgia Exercises," Colomina said.

The NATO-Georgia joint exercise which is scheduled for March 2022 will provide for the further development of the Georgian Defense Forces’ command and control capabilities and their ability to operate effectively alongside forces from other NATO member and partner countries, Colomina noted.

"The exercise will also provide a platform to test and consolidate the Georgian Defense Forces’ ability to perform crisis management tasks, through a comprehensive approach based on cooperation with a range of civilian and military actors, including international organizations and non-governmental organizations," he said.

Regarding the NATO-Georgia Exercise 2022, Colomina added that the Alliance does not plan to hold other exercises this year.