Georgian defence minister to visit country's servicemen in Afghanistan

Georgia, Tbilisi, Nov.22 / Trend, N. Kirtskhalia / Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Alasania will visit the Georgian military contingent in Afghanistan on Thursday, Alasania told Georgian journalists in Brussels. Some 1,571 servicemen from Georgia are involved in Afghanistan in the peacekeeping operation International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from November. It is Alasania's first visit to Afghanistan as Georgian Defence Minister. He took his office on Oct.25, when Georgian Parliament gave a vote of confidence to the new government led by Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. Alasania left Brussels for Afghanistan. In Brussels he attended the meeting of the NATO-Georgia together with the Georgian State Minister for integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures, Alexi Petriashvili. Georgia has lost 18 soldiers in Afghanistan after the country joined the NATO-led operation in 2009. Seven of them died in 2012. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az