At a ceremony to open a new military base 250 kilometers west of the capital Tbilisi, Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili said a decision has been made to phase out the draft.
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He said after several years of debate, the Georgian government's position is clear -- namely that the army must be
based on a contract system.
Georgia, which wants to join NATO, already has four U.S-trained battalions made up of 2,000 contract service personnel. Georgia's armed forces in total number 26,000.
(AP)
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
SUBSCRIBE For weekly news and in-depth analysis on Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia's North Caucasus by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Caucasus Report."
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
SUBSCRIBE For weekly news and in-depth analysis on Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia's North Caucasus by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Caucasus Report."
