Georgia will continue its participation in the NATO mission in Afghanistan until 2014 1910121

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Defense News - Georgia
 
 
Friday, October 19, 2012, 03:55 AM
 
Georgia will continue its participation in the NATO mission in Afghanistan until 2014.
The nominated candidate for Georgian defense minister on Thursday promised that the South Caucasus country would continue its participation in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan until 2014. The Georgian contingent's withdrawal from Afghanistan will start only in 2014, assured Irakli Alasania who was nominated as the candidate for the defense minister portfolio by the election coalition Georgian Dream which won the 2012 parliamentary elections to become the ruling party and to form the new government.
     
The nominated candidate for Georgian defense minister on Thursday promised that the South Caucasus country would continue its participation in the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan until 2014.
Georgia is a staunch ally of the United States with ambitions to join Nato and currently has 800 troops serving in Afghanistan.
     

"It is very difficult to talk about continuation of the mission and continuation of the policy, when we lost another brave soldier a few days ago (in Afghanistan)," said Irakli Alasania, "But everyone should understand that this is a responsibility of the state. It is a burden and obligation which Georgia had undertaken for ensuring international security."

Irakli Alasania made the statement on the day when NATO secretary-general's special representative to the South Caucasus and Central Asia visited Tbilisi.

James Appathurai said in the Georgian capital city that the alliance had hoped Georgia would continue to contribute to the mission in Afghanistan after 2014.

Georgia has already decided to send in one more battalion to Afghanistan to boost to over 1,500 the country's troop contribution to the NATO mission. Georgia is a staunch ally of the United States with ambitions to join Nato and currently has 800 troops serving in Afghanistan — the second largest deployment by a non-Nato member.

The special representative said that NATO would focus on training and consulting with the Afghan security forces after 2014 and the alliance would like to have Georgia involved in the new mission.

"We do not want to plan anything without Georgia's involvement, " said the special representative, "Georgia might be willing to make its contribution to the Afghanistan mission after 2014 too, and this contribution will be very important."