Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Joint Georgian-U.S. military exercises in Batumi came to an end on November 13.

About 40 representatives of the Georgian Coast Guard and the crew of the American USS Mount Whitney held the joint exercises onboard the USS Mount Whitney.

The flagship of the U.S. Sixth Fleet arrived in Georgia on November 11.

The exercise was carried out at the initiative of the 6th U.S. Navy with the aim of continuing global maritime partnerships with Black Sea states, improving maritime security.

U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Richard Norland and Head of Adjara Archil Khabadze visited the ship.

Speaking about Georgian-U.S. joint cooperation in the military field, Norland said that the U.S. Navy regularly makes visits to Batumi.

"We are delighted that they were once again able to receive Georgia's famous hospitality, and the organized concert is one way in which the ship's crew can engage culturally with the local population and thank Batumi's people for giving them such a warm welcome," he said.

The strength of Georgian-U.S. relations is reflected in the U.S.-Georgia Charter on Strategic Partnership, which was signed in January 2009 in the priority areas of democracy, defense and security, economic, trade and energy issues, as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Since signing the Charter, the United States and Georgia have strengthened their cooperation based on the U.S. support for Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty, and its commitment to further democratic reform.

Under various defense cooperation and strategic partnership agreements, Georgia actively cooperates with the U.S. forces in various mobile training team programs, and participates in the Immediate Response, Rapid Trident and Agile Spirit exercises.