Georgia, NATO Sign ‘Host Nation Support’ Treaty

Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili and General Rainer Schuwirth, Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, signed a Memorandum on Mutual Understanding on host nation support for NATO operations.

“‘Host Nation Support’ means necessary military or civilian support (using facilities, logistic support and etc.) provided by a host nation in case of the deployment of NATO forces, the conducting of operations, or the transit of NATO forces through the territory during peace, crises, emergencies, and conflicts,” the Georgian Ministry of Defense reported on May 22.
 
A similar agreement was already signed between Georgia and NATO in 2005 envisaging the use of Georgia’s air space, road, and rail infrastructure for transit purposes by NATO to send supplies necessary for the sustainment of NATO forces in Afghanistan.
 
But the new agreement concerns all NATO-led operations and exercises.

Preliminary consent of the Georgian side is necessary in each instance of using the Georgian territory, according to the Georgian Ministry of Defense.

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