President Margvelashvili Holds NSC Session
President Giorgi Margvelashvili presided over a session of the National Security Council (NSC) on September 29, which was convened to discuss a range of issues, among them the number of Georgian Armed Forces, the country’s National Defense Plan and its cooperation with NATO.
“We discussed all those issues that were put on the agenda. First of all, we dicussed the number of Armed Forces. The respective document has been prepared and sent to the Parliament for approval,” President Margvelashvili said after the NSC meeting.
He also stated that the meeting participants covered NATO-Georgia cooperation formats and the country’s progress to that end. “We also spoke on the preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit, Georgia’s defense plan, the situation in Georgia’s occupied regions, military exercises that are carried out in the occupied territories and the difficulties that our citizens are facing in these regions” he added.
David Rakviashvili, Secretary of the National Security Council of Georgia, said after the meeting that the number of Georgia’s Armed Forces would remain unchanged at 37 000 for 2018.
He also touched upon the situation in the occupied regions, saying the Russian military presence “is an ongoing threat, and will only be mitigated when occupation is over.” “There are no direct indicators which could translate in immediate threats, but what’s happening in the occupied territories, militarization and regular trainings in particular, are sources of threats and there has to be a permanent discussion on these both within the country and with our partners,” he noted.
Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Parliamentary Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze, Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze, Head of the State Security Service Vakhtang Gomelauri, Interior Minister Giorgi Mgebrishvili and other officials participated in the meeting.
