Georgia, Ukraine expand defense cooperation
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
Ukraine and Georgia have signed memorandum on the cooperation to expand the transportation through the Baltic-Black sea route.
The document was inked during the visit of Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry's delegation to Georgia.
"Memorandum aims to facilitate the development of the competitiveness of the corridor between the Baltic and Black seas, as well as to attract more shipment," the document underlined. The agreements will ease the access of the participants on the market of transportations between the two countries and in the third countries.
Note that the Georgia-Ukraine offshore section is the part of the Viking project, which connects the Baltic and Black sea regions in the south. Georgia joined the project in 2011.
Georgian and Ukrainian authorities also eye to widen the cooperation in the defense sphere.
The head of the Georgian Armed Forces' Headquarters, Mayor General Vakhtang Kalanadze visited Ukraine on the Ukrainian government's invitation.
Kalanadze reviewed the Rapid Trident 2014 demonstrative military drills. A squad of the Georgian Armed Forces' first marine brigade is attending the exercises which is being held at the Yavorov center for security and international stability.
Rapid Trident is an annual and pre-planned exercise that is part of the U.S. European Command's joint exercise program, which is designed to help boost interoperability between Ukrainian, US and other allied forces.
Kalanadze also met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy Geletey to discuss the perspectives of the bilateral relations in defense field.