Georgia Pulls Kosovo Peacekeepers to Prepare for Afghanistan Mission

Georgia announced Monday that it will withdraw its 150-soldier contingent from the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo, with the pullout expected to be completed within a week.

The redeployment reflects Tbilisi's ambition to join the NATO mission in Afghanistan, for which it has offered close to 500 troops. Georgia has contributed to the Kosovo operation since 1999.

The country also maintains roughly 2,000 personnel with US-led forces in Iraq, though it plans to reduce that number to around 300 before the end of summer.

Georgia's troop commitments are part of a broader effort to demonstrate its value as a prospective NATO member. At the alliance's April 2008 Bucharest summit, member states declined to grant Georgia and Ukraine access to the Membership Action Plan, citing concern over relations with Russia. NATO nonetheless signaled that Georgian membership remained a long-term goal.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in April 2008, in its own words.