TBILISI, July 30 (Xinhua)-- A multinational military drill named "Noble Partner 2017" kicked off at the Vaziani base near Georgia's capital Tbilisi on Sunday.
Addressing the troops from Georgia, USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Slovenia, Armenia and Ukraine at the opening ceremony of the exercise, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili hailed the multinational drill will further strengthen the compatibility of the armed forces of the NATO member states and the partner countries, safeguarding peace and stability in the region.
According to the Georgian Defense Ministry, more than 2800 servicemen from Georgia, USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, Slovenia, Armenia and Ukraine will participate in the two-week-long exercise. Over 500 major equipment including the U.S. main battle tank M1 Abrams, Bradley Fighting Vehicle and C-130 aircraft will get involved in the exercise.
The annual exercise aims to increase the interoperability of the Georgian troops and other partner states and improve combat capabilities of the NATO Response Force, said the Ministry in a statement on Sunday.
Initiated in 2015, "Noble Partner" was originally aimed to train Georgian soldiers and improve the Georgian troops' interoperability with NATO units.
