Georgia says joint military exercises not targeted at anyone

Georgia said on Saturday that the upcoming military exercises, with participation of US and UK troops, are not directed against anyone.

"We want to unequivocally state that Georgia is an independent and sovereign state, which has the right to hold any type of exercises on its territory," the Georgian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"It is sovereign right of Georgia to determine its military partners and forms of cooperation with them," it said.

The Foreign Ministry said the drill is important for increasing the country's self-defense capabilities and interoperability with NATO and "is not directed at any party."

It is in Georgia's interest to maintain stability in the Caucasus region and Georgia upholds that all the conflicts in the region should be solved peacefully, it added.

The statement came after the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the joint military exercises planned for May 11-26 is "a provocative step" directed against stability in the region.

Georgia on Thursday announced the three-week long military drill named "Noble Partner 2016" with two NATO member states at the Vaziani base near its capital Tbilisi.

The drill will involve as many as 1,300 soldiers including 500 Georgian servicemen, 650 U.S. servicemen and 150 UK soldiers who will incorporate a full range of equipment, including U.S. M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and C-130 "Hercules" aircraft, said the defense ministry.

Source: XINHUA