Georgia, Tbilisi, Jan 16 /Trend N.Kirtzkhalia/
Hope that the authorities would be able to obtain weapons from the United States has failed despite sending an additional battalion of peacekeepers to Afghanistan, former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said.
The Georgian contingent of the ISAF operation in Afghanistan will increase from 900 to 1600 in 2012. This has already been approved by parliament despite the fact that Georgia has lost three soldiers in Afghanistan during the last few months and 12 for the duration of operations in the country.
"We already know that Georgia won't get American armament, as well as won't be able to join NATO by sending its military personnel to Afghanistan," Mr Shevardnadze told in an interview with the Georgian weekly Asaval-Dasavali.
He added that the USA doesn't want to be in war understood to be useless. The USA as well as other countries are withdrawing their troops and only Georgia has been increasing them despite its own demographic crisis.
"Georgia won't become closer to NATO by participating in operations in Afghanistan.
"To begin with the USA has to settle the questions and secondly no military force of Georgia should have to either, but the presence of democratic institutions is the main factor for Europe," Mr Shevardnadze added.