Lithuanian defmin meets Georgian counterpart in Batumi

BATUMI – Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Raimundas Karoblis, currently on a visit to Georgia, on Friday met with his Georgian counterpart Levan Izoria.

The two ministers discussed aspects of Lithuanian-Georgian cooperation and expressed their delight over growing cooperation, especially in the area of cyber security, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense informed BNS Lithuania.

According to the ministry, the Georgian minister thanked Lithuania for its political and practical support and expressed his delight over bilateral cooperation in the areas of cyber security and strategic communication, also stressing the important of participation in joint international exercises.

On Thursday, Karoblis attended the 12th Annual Georgia Security and Defense Conference in Batumi. Speaking at one of the discussions, the minister called on NATO to open its doors to Tbilisi and underlined that Russia should not influence decisions on Georgia's membership in Western organizations.

Nevertheless, Georgia has little chances to join the EU and NATO over the upcoming years.

Following the 2008 war, Moscow recognized the independence of Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Russia has deployed thousands of its troops in the military bases in these territories. The international community views South Ossetia and Abkhazia as Georgia's territories occupied by Russia.

In 2008, a statement was adopted during the NATO summit in Bucharest that Georgia will become an Alliance member.