On 22 May, the Georgian minister of defense, Levan Izoria visited the United States were he met with the US deputy secretary of defense, John Rood, reported Georgiatoday.

The two sides discussed issues of strategic cooperation and future plans shared by the two countries. Special attention was paid to ways of deepening the existing cooperation in defense and security between the US and Georgia. The future perspectives of development of the Georgia Defense Preparedness Program and the Basic Combat Training Course were one of the main topics. The sides discussed the need to increase the size and scale of the multinational teaching to strengthen the security in the Black Sea region.

A three-year framework agreement for defense cooperation with the US was set up, which will be signed in autumn. In the document the priorities for enhancing the security cooperation are to be revealed. ”This will give us the basis to grow closer to NATO and consequently, with a high degree of achieved cooperation, the country will be ready to join NATO”, Izoria claimed.

According to Izoria the US-Georgia cooperation is at an all-time high, especially in the defence field, and “in the future we only welcome American bases in Georgia”, he told Voice of America. Izoria refrained to comment on the statement of Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili, that US bases should not be located in Georgia.

Izoria spent the final day of his trip at the US coast guard academy, participating in the graduation ceremony of cadets. Two Georgians graduated the academy this year and are scheduled to return to Georgia and continue their career in the Ministry of Defence.