Tbilisi. Georgian President, Giorgi Margvelashvili, visited
Georgian troops, deployed in Helmand Province (Afghanistan) as part of the NATO-led ISAF (International
Security Assistance Force) mission, on March 16 - Georgian President's
Administration reported.
According to the President's
Administration, Head of the National Security Council, Irina Imerlishvili; Head
of the President's Administration, Lasha Abashidze, as well as Chief of General
Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces, Vakhtang Kapanadze; Deputy Minister of
Defense, Irakli Gegechkori and Head of the Parliamentary Security Committee,
Irakli Sesiashvili, accompanied Georgian President on his trip to
Afghanistan. ISAF Combined Team
(Southwest) Commander, Brigade General Daniel Yoo (USA) briefed Georgian
delegation on the course of the mission, as well as on the details of Georgian
troops' participation in the NATO-led operations.
After the meeting, Georgian delegation
traveled to the "Orbi" HQ of the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF) 31st
Light Infantry Brigade, located on the territory of Camp Leatherneck, the U.S.
Marine Corps base. The awards ceremony of Georgian and American servicemen was held. 7 American and 12 Georgian soldiers
were handed over Georgian national awards for special contribution to the ISAF
mission. Georgian Commander-in-Chief addressed the servicemen and underlined
their particular contribution to the global security. "I am proud to stand beside the people,
who have raised high the Georgian flag on the global scale. Your are those,
whom the motherland is awaiting for and is proud of. I am proud to be here with
you and to be the commander-in-chief of the people like you! People in Georgia
appreciate what you do, since this is a fight for Georgia's strength and global
stability," President Margvelashvili stated.
At the ceremony, a moment of silence was
observed to commemorate those, who had been killed during the ISAF mission.