U.S. to sell Javelin anti-tank missiles to Georgia

TBILISI, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Congress had agreed to sell the Javelin man-portable anti-tank system to Georgia, said Georgian Defense Minister Levan Izoria on Wednesday.

"We have an important success regarding purchasing the anti-tank Javelin missiles from the United States," said Izoria, who wrote to the U.S. Defence Department for this purchase on March 29, adding that the U.S. Congress had made a positive decision on this issue Tuesday.

Addressing lawmakers in the parliament, Izoria said that Georgia had asked the United States for the Javelin missiles multiple times for years but implementation of defense reforms was one of the conditions the United States requested from the country.

The United States had recognized the reforms Georgia has undertaken with Tuesday's decision, Izoria stressed.

According to the statement from the Ministry, Izoria also spoke highly of the fast expanding cooperation between Georgia and NATO in recent years, saying the alliance had recognized Georgia as one of the most trusted partners by jointly conducting a series of military drills. Enditem