Georgia to receive NATO-standard armoured personnel carriers from Turkey
The Georgian defence ministry and Turkish company ASFAT on Friday signed a deal for the hardware. Photo: defence ministry press office
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Georgian Defence Forces will receive NATO-standard armoured personnel carriers after the defence ministry and Turkish company ASFAT on Friday signed a deal for the hardware, the ministry announced.
The ministry said the deal on the vehicles - with the company operating under the ministry of national defence of Turkey - would “significantly contribute to the strengthening of [Georgia’s] defence capabilities and productive cooperation between the two countries”.
Pointing to the increase of ₾80 million ($28 million) in budget funding for the ministry, minister Juansher Burchuladze said last month the money would be used for the implementation of “medium- and long-term projects” with support of foreign partners.
In recent years we have purchased urgently needed weapons and established joint enterprises that will produce rifles and drones, and we are also working on opening a large ammunition production plant in Georgia”, said the minister.
The minister stressed the country was already producing ammunition, while the domestic production of armoured vests and helmets had been expanded and 40 locally produced armoured vehicles had been handed to the Georgian Defence Forces.
Burchuladze also said the ministry had plans to purchase anti-aircraft, anti-tank and anti-armour systems.
Georgian defence minister Juansher Burchuladze on Wednesday praised conditions provided for the country's servicememembers as “better than in most of European states” and announced launch of new projects for domestic defence production and introduction of a defence code to promote armed forces among the youth.
United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin sat down with Minister of Defence of Georgia Juansher Burchuladze in one of the few meetings the American official held at the NATO ministerial in Brussels on Thursday, with the discussion covering questions of strategic cooperation between the partnering countries.
More than 2,400 servicemembers from 21 countries will be involved in this year’s Noble Partner defence drills in Georgia, with the exercise set to feature troops from Japan and Sweden for the first time, the Ministry of Defence of Georgia announced on Tuesday.
In light of the Russian occupation of Georgian regions and its ongoing invasion of Ukraine it is “very important” to increase Georgia's defence capabilities, Juansher Burchuladze, the Georgian Defence Minister, said on Thursday in an interview with Imedi TV channel.
Georgian defence minister Juansher Burchuladze on Friday said his government was working on the purchase of anti-aircraft and anti-armor equipment.
Security challenges in the Black Sea region were discussed on Monday in a meeting between Georgian defence minister Juansher Burchuladze and his Lithuanian counterpart Arvydas Anušauskas.
Security challenges of the Black Sea region and the importance of developing partnership between the countries of the region were discussed on Friday in a meeting between Georgian defence minister Juansher Burchuladze and his Romanian counterpart Angel Tîlvăr.