U.S. presents two patrol boats to Georgia

The U.S. government has given Georgia two Island-class patrol boats on the 20th anniversary of the Georgian Coast Guard.

Georgian top officials and acting US ambassador to Georgia Elisabeth Rood arrived in the country’s western coastal town of Poti to attend the ceremony for the event. Georgia named the boats Ochamchire and Dioskuria. 

Georgia's Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze and Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia thanked the U.S. government for its continued support for Georgia and stated that the boats will play important roles in Black Sea coast security.

"We are very glad that our strategic partner, the US, is well aware of the role of the Black Sea and Georgia [play] in international security. U.S.-Georgia relations have never been at such a high,”  Agenda.ge cited Bakhtadze as saying.

"We will continue to support Georgia strengthen its self-defense capabilities and coastal security," the US ambassador to Georgia said, adding that her country would find no better country to gift the boats to than Georgia.

Rood said that the boats have served the US people “excellently” and stated that she expected the same from the vessels for the Georgian people.