Georgia will provide training to Afghan troops both in Georgia and on the ground in Afghanistan after 2014, when the NATO combat mission is due to end, Irakli Alasania, the Georgian Defense Minister said on Friday.

On February 22 Alasania participated in a meeting in Brussels of defense ministers from NATO and partner states, contributing to International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

“At the session we presented our vision about Georgia’s contribution to post-ISAF mission. We have agreed that Afghan military servicemen will undergo training and receive education in Georgia and we will also continue providing training to them on the ground in Afghanistan,” Alasania said.

Georgia now has over 1,560 soldiers in Afghanistan with two battalions stationed in the Helmand province and a platoon in Kabul.
 
On the sideline of the NATO and partner states defense ministerial meeting in Brussels, Alasania held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Lithuania, Latvia, Afghanistan, Australia, Sweden, Poland, Macedonia and Greece. Alasania also met Deputy Secretary General of NATO Alexander Vershbow and commander of the U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen. Joseph F. Dunford.