US cancels Noble Partner exercises planned in Georgia
Illustrative photo: The United States has canceled the Noble Partner 2024 exercise, which was to take place in Georgia (ge.usembassy.gov)
The United States has postponed the NOBLE PARTNER exercise scheduled for the end of July, which was to be held together with Georgia. The period for which the exercise has been postponed is not specified, according to the Pentagon.
According to the Pentagon, on May 30, the US government began a full review of all bilateral cooperation with Georgia. In particular, it was decided to postpone NOBLE PARTNER. This is because the Georgian government brought accusations against the United States and other Western entities to put pressure on Georgia.
The United States has indicated that it will continue to cooperate with the Georgian defense forces as it seeks to further strengthen Georgia's ability to defend its sovereignty and maintain its territorial integrity.
"We have not made this decision lightly, and we place great consideration on the extensive value that our Allies and Partners add to exercises such as NOBLE PARTNER. The United States looks forward to future opportunities to cooperate with Allies and Partners, including AGILE SPIRIT in 2025," the statement said.
The NOBLE PARTNER is an annual multinational military exercise held in Georgia. It is organized by the Ministry of Defense of Georgia in cooperation with the United States and other partner countries. The purpose of the exercise is to increase interoperability between military units from different countries, strengthen defense capabilities, and improve joint operations skills. NOBLE PARTNER exercises are aimed at ensuring stability and security in the region.
Georgian law on foreign agents
At the end of May this year, the Georgian parliament overrode President Salome Zurabishvili's veto of the law On Transparency of Foreign Influence. These actions caused outrage among Western partners. Mass protests began in Georgia, in particular, because the law is similar to the one in force in Russia.
Earlier, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said that Georgia's European perspective would be canceled if the country's authorities continued their policy.
