Defense Secretary James N. Mattis met yesterday with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashili and Defense Minister Levan Izoria during the Munich Security Conference to discuss the U.S.-Georgia defense relationship and regional security issues, chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White said in a readout of the meeting.
The defense secretary praised Georgia's continuing service as the largest non-NATO force contributor and per-capita contributor alongside U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, White said, and recognized that this service has come at the price of 32 Georgian service members' lives and 290 more wounded.
Mattis reaffirmed the United States' support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, she said.
The defense secretary discussed the significant progress in Georgia's defense reforms and U.S. security assistance to Georgia's armed forces, White said, including the ongoing partnership to enhance combat readiness and institutional capacity via the Georgia Defense Readiness Program.