Day: November 28, 2023
Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze took part in the trilateral Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey Defense Ministerial in Baku, Azerbaijan on November 27. As part of the visit, Juansher Burchuladze held bilateral meetings with his Azerbaijani and Turkish counterparts – Zakir Khasanov and Yaşar Güler.
The trilateral defense cooperation between Georgia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan was launched in 2012 and the ministerial is hosted by the countries based on a rotation principle. This year the ministerial was hosted by Azerbaijan.
Trilateral Ministerial
According to the Georgian Defense Ministry, the ministers discussed issues related to regional and global security. At the meeting, the sides underlined the importance of regional cooperation for security, stability, and sustainable development of their countries. Georgia reiterated its readiness to contribute to strengthening stability and security in the South Caucasus.
The Georgian Minister of Defense stressed the importance of strengthening defense cooperation between the three countries, as well as the importance of joint exercises and drills. According to the MoD press release, he also acquainted his colleagues “with the main directions of reforms in the Georgian defense system”. He also briefed his counterparts on amendments to the Georgian Defense Code.
Meeting with Azerbaijani Defense Minister
During the bilateral meeting with the Azerbaijani Defense Minister, signed the 2024 action plan on bilateral cooperation. The Georgian Defense Minister thanked his Azerbaijani counterpart for hosting the ministerial meeting and noted that mutual respect, good-neighborly relations and trust-based cooperation are of particular importance for regional security.
According to the MoD of Georgia, at the meeting the sides discussed security challenges in the region. Burchuladze underlined Georgia’s readiness to contribute to dialogue and confidence-building between the sides within the framework of the Peaceful Neighborhood Initiative. The sides discussed bilateral and trilateral defense cooperation.
Juansher Burchuladze and Zakir Khasanov noted the active participation of Azerbaijani officers in the international exercises and defense courses planned to be held in Georgia, as well as in the trilateral exercises. The sides also expressed their readiness to maintain the momentum of bilateral and trilateral cooperation, as well as meetings at the strategic level.
Meeting with Turkish Defense Minister
Georgian MoD reports that during the meeting with his Turkish counterpart Yaşar Güler, Burchuladze thanked the Turkish side for its unwavering political and practical support, as well as for supporting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
The Georgian Minister focused on “successful defense cooperation with Turkey as a strategic partner and Turkey’s commitment, material-technical and financial support in the development of the Georgian Defense Forces”. One of the main topics of discussion was the security situation in the region and security challenges in the Black Sea region and worldwide; the sides also discussed cooperation with NATO, as well as issues related to defense training and joint exercises.
The next trilateral defense ministerial will take place in Georgia, according to the Georgian Ministry of Defense.
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