“The visit of U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has demonstrated that the U.S. continues to assist Georgia to enhance its defense and security capabilities especially in terms of increasingly aggressive actions of the Russian Federation.  The U.S. Defense Secretary reaffirmed America’s steadfast support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He paid special attention to the necessity of the implementation of 2008 ceasefire commitments by the Russian side”, - noted Prof. Dr. Khatuna Burkadze.   

“This visit has encouraged to launch a new initiative. The U.S. Defense Secretary and the Georgian Defense Minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the new Georgia Defense and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative (GDDEI). It has illustrated that the U.S. is not only a strategic partner for Georgia, but also America is a strategic ally in the field of defense and security for us. GDDEI demonstrates the significance of the U.S.- Georgia relations. It aims to continue the modernization of the Georgian defense forces.  GDDEI focuses on strengthening Georgia’s defense capabilities and fostering interoperability with NATO. This initiative will play an important role to achieve our Euro-Atlantic goals as well”, - underlined Prof. Dr. Khatuna Burkadze. 

“After the trip to Georgia, the U.S. Defense Secretary visited Ukraine, Romania, and Brussels within NATO Defense Ministerial. This European tour has shown that the visit to Georgia was important in the regional context as well.  Georgia as a littoral state of the Black Sea region is strategically significant for the West. It gives us the opportunity through support of partners and the implementation of reforms to achieve more progress on the path of European and Euro-Atlantic integration”, - highlighted Prof. Dr. Khatuna Burkadze.