You're reading: Foreign minister says Georgia supports increase of NATO presence in Black Sea region

TBILISI- Tbilisi welcomes NATO readiness to strengthen the security of the Black Sea region, Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze told reporters on Oct. 27.

“At the Warsaw summit, NATO made a decision to increase its military presence in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region and promote stability outside the alliance, help partner countries and the countries aspiring [to join it], including Georgia, strengthen their defense capability. We hail this military presence in the region and NATO activity,” Janelidze said.

He said Georgia is involved in NATO debates on the strengthening of security in the Black Sea region.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg earlier said six countries had expressed their readiness to participate in the strengthening of NATO’s presence in the Black Sea region.

Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the U.S. have stated their readiness to contribute to the NATO presence in the Black Sea region on the ground, at sea and in the air, he told a press conference in Brussels.