Georgia's Batumi port is preparing to receive US military equipment
The US military and members of NATO have arrived in Georgia to familiarize themselves with the infrastructure capabilities of the Batumi sea port. American military equipment, to be used for large-scale joint military exercises, will be delivered through the port in May. This was reported by Sputnik with reference to the Georgian Ministry of Defense.
“During the visit, we discussed military exercises scheduled for May, as well as using the Batumi port to import military equipment. Both sides have expressed readiness to deepen cooperation in the future,” the Ministry stated.
The Chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces, Vakhtang Kapanadze, stressed the importance of the military visit and noted that “their main goal is to explore the capabilities that seaports have overall. These include ports in the Black Sea and ports in Georgia”.
“Our delegation includes officers from the US European Command as well as from the United States, NATO and European countries. We arrived in Georgia to get acquainted with the capabilities of the Batumi port in order to determine how fast we can transport the equipment. We also want to show your country and our good friend, General Kapanadze, that we continue to cooperate with Georgia and that we continue to work to improve our partnership,” Lieutenant General Frederick Hodges, a member of the delegation, said.
Military and mechanized infantry units will arrive from the US to take part in the exercises planned for 2016. US Abrams tanks will also participate in the training this year.
The Georgian military, before having access American tanks, had previously used other types of US military equipment for training.