Russia Threat  ·   US Military

US and Georgia Sign Military Pact

October 19, 2021
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Georgian Minister of Defense Juansher Burchuladze conduct a press conference at the Georgian Ministry of Defense, Tbilisi, Georgia, Oct. 18, 2021. Along with Georgia, Austin will visit allies in Ukraine and Romania to reaffirm U.S. support for sovereignty and territorial integrity and underscore the importance of the strategic partnerships in addressing regional and global security challenges. Austin will also travel to Brussels, Belgium to participate in the NATO Defense Ministerial. (DoD photo by Chad J. McNeeley)

TBLISI, Georgia ― U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Georgian counterpart on Monday signed an agreement to extend U.S.-led military training for the embattled Black Sea ally as part of the secretary’s trip through the region to reaffirm support for eastern allies on the front lines of Russian aggression.

The action came on the first leg of Austin’s trip, ahead of visits to other Black Sea allies Ukraine and Romania to deliver a message of “unwavering” support for their sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian threats. Since Russia’s war with Georgia, it has had a 13-year grip on Georgia’s breakaway territories, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, that Austin decried on Monday.

“One point I’d like to be clear on is the United States condemns Russia’s ongoing occupation of Georgia and its attempts to expand influence in the Black Sea region through military coercion and malign activities,” Austin said while standing beside Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. “This is an important region, and its security and stability is crucial to fully realize a vision that we share of a Europe that is whole and free and at peace.

Georgia and Ukraine are NATO aspirants, and Romania is a member. Amid the Russian troop presence, NATO hasn’t agreed to advance Georgia’s membership, and the west has also been pressuring Georgia to curb corruption and reverse its democratic backsliding.

Read more at Defense News.



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Jawad
Jawad
1 year ago

So the poor Georgians think they can trust demented, cowardly, faithless Joe Blow in a pinch? Let’s go Branden!

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