US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze signed a memorandum of understanding on the Georgia Defense and Deterrence Enhancement (GDDE) Initiative.

“This initiative marks a new phase of our bilateral security cooperation, and it demonstrates the US’ commitment to supporting Georgia. GDDE will be the continuation of Georgia’s Defense Readiness Program which has served the US efforts for more than three years to help Georgia boost its self-defense capabilities”, - said US Secretary of Defense.

“This initiative marks a new phase of our bilateral security cooperation, and it demonstrates the U.S. commitment to supporting Georgia”, - wrote he in Twitter.

Juansher Burchuladze added that Austin’s first official visit to Georgia “reaffirms a strong strategic partnership between the US and Georgia and serves the goal of further strengthening bilateral cooperation”.