Security Chief Satisfied with GTEP Implementation

(Tbilisi, Civil Georgia, July 17, 2002) – Tedo Japaridze, Secretary of the Georgian National Security Council and Irakli Batiashvili, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Security visited Military Academy today, where the Command and Control trainings for the Georgian officers are held within the Georgian Train-and-Equip Program (GTEP).

Tedo Japaridze expressed satisfaction with the implementation of the program. He said that GTEP is not an ordinary program, “it is vital for the security of Georgia.”

Georgian security chief denies reports that the implementation of the GTEP is jeopardized due to the volunteers’ shortage for the next phase of the program, which considers training of commandos’ battalions.

Tedo Japaridze told the reporters that some forces in Georgian are interested in hindering GTEP.