NATO
and Georgia Sign Transit Agreement
(NATO) On Wednesday 2 March, Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili
signed an agreement at NATO HQ regarding the provision of host
nation support to and transit of NATO forces and NATO personnel.
The agreement provides for important support to NATO operations,
and in particular the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. It establishes
the framework for NATO and other ISAF contributing nations to
send through Georgia important supplies necessary for the sustainment
of their forces in Afghanistan.
The agreement
provides for transit through Georgia via air, road and rail infrastructure.
It also provides the framework for host nation support to NATO
operations. Georgia’s decision to reach this agreement is an important
contribution to the ISAF mission and is particularly significant
in light of NATO’s recent decisions taken to further expand
the International Security Assistance Force into the West of Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister
Zourabichvili also met with the North Atlantic Council.
Background:
ISAF’s
role is to assist the Government of Afghanistan and the international
community in maintaining security within the force’s area
of operations. ISAF supports the Government of Afghanistan in
expanding its authority to the rest of the country, and in providing
a safe and secure environment conducive to free and fair elections,
the spread of the rule of law, and the reconstruction of the country.
This expansion will establish a permanent ISAF presence in the
form of four Provincial Reconstruction teams (PRT) and one Forward
Support Base (FSB). Two existing US led PRTs at Herat and Farah
will switch to ISAF and two new ISAF PRTs will be established
with Lithuania in the lead at Chaghcharan, capital of Ghor province,
and Spain in the lead at Qal’eh-ye Now, capital of Baghdis
province. Italy and Spain will provide the Forward Support Base
(a logistics hub at Herat) with substantial support from other
contributors. The extended ISAF mission will provide security
assistance in 50% of Afghanistan’s territory.