President Saakashvili said after talks with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in Brussels on February 27 that Tbilisi wants to contribute to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

“We are also willing to contribute more to operations in Afghanistan and we have discussed sending a limited-number Georgian contingent to Afghanistan,” Saakashvili said.

“Georgia’s importance as a role model for the region as a contributor rather than consumer of security is growing and I think NATO and our cooperation with NATO will further contribute to it,” he added.

“I hope Georgia might support ISAF in Afghanistan once again. That is a very important element indeed,” the NATO Secretary General said at a joint news conference with President Saakashvili.

50 soldiers and officers from the Georgian 16th Mountain Battalion were stationed in Afghanistan for 100 days in 2004 in conjunction with German forces.

Georgia also has a small contingent in Kosovo and about 850 troops in Iraq.