TBILISI. May 18 (Interfax-AVN) - The Czech Republic is ready to join the U.S. program of military aid to Georgia, a spokesman for the Georgian Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency on Saturday.
"The possibility of the Czech Defense Ministry joining the program will be discussed next week during a Czech military delegation's visit to Georgia. The delegation is led by Chief of the General Staff Jiri Sedivy," the spokesman said.
The Czech military will stay in Georgia from May 22 to 24. They will negotiate with officials of the Georgian Defense Ministry and General Staff on supplies of Czech armament and combat equipment for the Georgian army.
The U.S. program envisages the training and equipping of Georgian anti-terrorist forces that comprise four battalions and a mechanized company. The Pentagon allocated USD64m for that purpose. The program's implementation will start in late May when the majority of American military instructors arrives in the republic.
The spokesman did not disclose the planned volume of the Czech aid. He said, however, that "the U.S. officials do not have anything against the involvement of other countries in the program's implementation, and 15 NATO members and partners have announced their readiness to join" the program.