TBILISI. Jan 20 (Interfax-AVN) - The Georgian Navy plans to conduct a large-scale exercise in Kulevi outside Poti in May, Captain Jimsher Rukhadze, an official representative of the Georgian Navy, told Interfax-Military News Agency on Thursday.
"Given the transformation of the Defense Ministry, the Navy is also experiencing certain changes, thus, details of the exercise will be specified in February," he said.
He did not rule out the possibility that the exercise might involve the Air Force and the Land Forces.
"Foreign experts, advising the Georgian Navy on meeting NATO standards, suggest that we conduct joint arms exercises in order to better refine interoperability," he said.
According to Rukhadze, Greek and Turkish experts are working on the reform of the Georgian Navy.
The Georgian Navy, equipped with 19 ships and boats, is manned with up to 1,000 sailors.
Rukhadze said that the Kulevi exercise might see participation of Akula-type landing craft, which had belonged to Aslan Abashidze, former head of Ajaria, who left the autonomous republic in May 2004.
The landing craft in question were assembled at the Batumi shipyard in compliance with cutting-edge technologies. The crew of each landing craft amounts to 24 men, while the craft are capable of sailing at a speed of 65 mph, while retaining the stealth capability.