Two Maltese soldiers for EU mission in Georgia

Two Maltese soldiers from the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) C Company have arrived in Georgia to participate in the EU monitoring mission, marking the first time the government has sent soldiers on a European Security and Defence Policy (ESPD) mission.

The Malta police are represented in a similar mission in Bosnia through the presence of two police officers.

AFM sources said yesterday that the two soldiers were assigned to the Gori area - led by France - and will be serving for the next 12 months.

Four monitoring areas were established by the EU mission in Georgia which together with Gori include stations at Poti, Tbilisi and Zugdidi.

The two soldiers, whose identity has been keep under wraps for security reasons, were picked by the army following a call for applications. They are highly skilled and have already attended various training courses overseas.

One of them has also taken part in an EU mission in Lebanon together with an Italian military contingent, the sources said.

Originally, the EU mission in Georgia was supposed to attract some 200 army monitors. But the response was higher than expected and there are currently 265 monitors deployed in the area from 22 EU member states. France and Germany are the main contributors.

C Company, set up a few years ago, is considered to be an elite section of the army and its personnel are given specific training for participation in overseas missions. This section is expected to be deeply involved in Malta's participation in the Nato Partnership for Peace programme in the coming months.