USA to Supervise Georgian Rapid Reaction Forces

Georgian Deputy Defence Minister Gela Bezhuashvili told journalists on Thursday that the U.S. party would supervise Georgian rapid reaction forces that would be set up by the Georgian Defence Ministry.

The Georgian Defence Ministry stressed "that assistance in defence rendered to Georgia by the USA was so great that Georgia could not claim anything more." "The main thing is to use the means provided by the USA effectively and in full," Mr. Bezhuashvili emphasized.

The other Georgian defence sponsor is Turkey, the Georgian Defence Minister said. Most part of the means allocated by the Turkish government will be used for equipping the Georgian rapid reaction forces in order to improve their combat readiness.

According to Mr. Bezhuashvili, the USA and Turkey will render assistance to Georgia in defence. The issue concerning trilateral co-operation between Georgia, the USA and Turkey was touched upon in 2001 for the first time in order to make military assistance rendered to Georgia by the countries more efficient, the Georgian Defence Minister emphasized.

"At present, the priority of Georgia's cooperation with the USA and Turkey is to reorganize the 11th mechanized infantry brigade of the Georgian Defence Ministry so that it meets NATO standards," Mr. Bezhuashvili stressed.