U.S. Army Europe and Africa Commanding General Christopher Cavoli was on a visit to Tbilisi on March 15-17, where he met the newly appointed Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze and Defense Forces Chief Major General Giorgi Matiashvili.

A joint March 18 statement by the Georgian Defense Ministry and the U.S. Army Europe and Africa said that General Cavoli and Minister Burchuladze discussed regional challenges, security cooperation and future perspectives, including the upcoming Agile Spirit 2021 multinational exercise, scheduled to be held this summer in Georgia.

Moreover, General Cavoli met Major General Matiashvili to talk about among others future security cooperation priorities, as the bilateral Georgia Defense Readiness Program (GDRP) is set to be completed this year.

According to the joint statement, the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Commanding General also visited the Vaziani training area, where the GDRP Training team “focuses specifically on enhancing Georgia’s ability to train its forces” to increase the country’s interoperability and strengthen its defense capabilities.

“U.S. and Georgian forces are proud to serve side-by-side in the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan and around the world,” the statement concluded.