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Georgia to Meet NATO Standards After Russia's Pullout: President
The Georgian Armed Forces will move closer to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) standards in the next two-three years after Russia withdraws its arms from the bases in the republic by the end of 2000, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said in Tbilisi Thursday.
The process of Georgia joining NATO will be stepped up and the relations between Russia and Georgia will also be improved following the pullout, the Interfax news agency quoted Shevardnadze as saying at a meeting with General Sir Charles Guttry, chief of the United Kingdom General Staff.
Guttry, who arrived in the Georgia capital of Tbilisi Wednesday for a three-day working visit, promised that Britain is prepared to assist Georgia for achieving its goal.
London can provide advice and manuals to help Tbilisi build its army, he said, adding that special attention may be given to the teaching of English in the United Military Academy of Georgia.
Wednesday, Guttry also had a meeting behind closed doors with senior officials of the Georgian Defense Ministry. He plans to visit Georgia's western town of Zugdidi Friday for a meeting with
the British officers serving as U.N. military observers in the Abkhazia conflict zone.
Earlier this year, Shevardnadze announced after his reelection as head of state that Georgia will push on to join NATO before his second mandate expires in 2005.
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