NATO to help Georgia destroy more missiles
A second NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) Trust Fund project in Georgia was launched on 24 October. It will support the destruction of stockpiles of close to 9 000 missiles.
24
Oct 2007
With a budget of €478 000 (US$688 065), the project is expected to be carried out in 2008. It will focus on the dismantling of 1 080 surface-to-air S-8 missiles, as well as 5 724 Alazan and 1 976 Kristall anti-hail rockets.
The ammunitions will be inspected and packaged, as well as transported to demilitarization facilities at Ponichala and Vaziani. The facilities will be further refurbished and equipped for the destruction of the missiles.
Investment in future capacity
The project will help enhance Georgia’s own capacity and capability for further demilitarization activities in the years ahead.
The three Baltic NATO members, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, are the lead countries for the project. Other Allies (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Romania) and two Partner countries (Finland and Switzerland) will also contribute.
The project will be implemented with the close cooperation and support of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) will serve as the project’s Executing Agent.
This initiative is a continuation of a previous project in Georgia, which destroyed some 530 surface-to-air guided missiles between 2003 and 2006.
