NATO's Gottemoeller visits Georgian Coast Guard in Batumi
TBILISI. Oct 4 (Interfax) - NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller said during her ongoing visit to Georgia that steps being taken by the alliance to help bolster Georgia's Coast Guard are also contributing to security in the Black Sea region.
Gottemoeller made these remarks after a meeting with officers of the Coast Guard of the Georgian Interior Ministry's border police in Batumi, where she was also shown two Island-class patrol boats the U.S. handed over to Georgia last year.
Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri, in turn, told reporters on Friday after a meeting with Gottemoeller and her delegation that Georgia remains a reliable partner for NATO.
Georgia has already been included in efforts to enhance Euro-Atlantic security.
When asked whether NATO members plan to hand over more patrol boats to Georgia, the minister declined to give a concrete answer, only saying that work is under way on this issue.