|
Minister
of Defense of Georgia, David Tevzadze considers that from the point of view of
national defense and safety cooperation within the framework of the Treaty on
collective safety of the CIS for Georgia is not meaningful. Georgia has joined
the Treaty on collective safety of the CIS in 1993, however in 1999 refused to
prolong the participation in this pact. Speaking at joint session of
parliamentary committees on defense and safety and on foreign relations,
Tevzadze declared that Georgia disagrees with the plan of perspective military
cooperation of the countries of the CIS till 2005 as this plan assumes
development of uniform military strategy of the countries of Commonwealth and
creation of above-state block systems. Such policy contradicts with the military
doctrine of Georgia, Minister Tevzadze told. He said, inexpedient is the
participation of Georgia in the program of development of military-technical
cooperation of the countries of the CIS. According to David Tevzadze, Georgia
refused participation in the interstate program of standardization of arms and
military engineering as normative of the CIS can create certain difficulties for
the Georgian army in its fitting out according to the Western standards. Armed
forces of Georgia are oriented to rapprochement with the Western military
structures; however do not refuse to deepen bilateral cooperation in this area
with the countries of the CIS, told Tevzadze. As to the CIS, teamwork in its
frameworks is limited only to participation in sessions of Council of Ministers
of defense of Commonwealth, he noted. Such sessions were eight, but Georgia
participated only in six and joined only to 16 out of 124 official agreements
adopted at these sessions, the Georgian Minister noted. As he said, within the
framework of the CIS, military department of Georgia participates only in joint
sports activities, in development of scientific and technical potential, in the
exchange of information, connected with the international system of safety of
flights, in charitable actions.
In opinion of Tevzadze, in case of the CIS, it was not possible to settle any of
conflicts till this day, and clear examples of inefficiency of collective
peace-making forces are the presence
of armed opposition in Tajekistan and two centers of conflicts in Georgia,
the General told. In Georgia, peace-making forces in practice have only
designated border between Abkhazia and other territory of the country, Minister
declared. Settlement of the conflict in Abkhazia with participation of
collective peace-making forces of the CIS was limited only to the first phase -
cease-fire, David Tevzadze told. In the meantime, commander of Armed forces of
USA in Europe Joseph Ralston, who arrived to Tbilisi on Thursday with one-day
visit, informed that he is satisfied with point of view of the government of
Georgia on cooperation with the NATO. He told journalists that it is necessary
to be well prepared for carrying out multinational peace-making maneuvers in
June in Georgia under auspices of the NATO. Joseph Ralston met the President of
Georgia, Edward Shevardnadze and Minister of Defense of Georgia, David Tevzadze.
The aircraft and fleet will take part in June nearby to Poti in maneuvers of
about 4 thousand military men of the countries of the North Atlantic alliance
and the states participating in the program of the NATO "Partnership for
the sake of peace".
|
