On 4 July, members of a group of Dutch military experts - Brigadier-General Paul Hoefsloot, Dr Eric Vermetten, Ms Caecilia Van Peski and Mr Gielt Algra visited the State Service of Veterans’ Affairs.

Koba kobaladze, chef of the State Service of Veterans’ Affairs, hosted the guests and introduced the structure and administrative arrangement of the State Service of Veterans' Affairs to them. Healthcare programs, social and economic projects, developed by the veterans’ service in close cooperation with various state agencies were discussed. Mr. Kobaladze also mentioned the challenges to overcome, in which the support of Western partners is very important.

Afterwards, the guests, accompanied by Mr. Koba Kobaladze, laid a wreath at the Memorial of those who died for the territorial integrity of Georgia and paid tribute to the memory of the heroes who died on the battlefield. 

Later, the members of the Dutch delegation visited the V. Sanikidze Veterans’ Hospital, met the hospital's medical staff, veterans, and then visited the rehabilitation-adaptation center, where they learned about the rehabilitation process of soldiers wounded in international peacekeeping missions and the achievements as well as needs of the hospital and rehabilitation center.

Dutch delegation’s visit aims to share the experience of state and non-governmental organizations of veterans’ operating in the Netherlands and NATO countries and to discuss future plans of joint projects tailored for Georgian veterans to provide social, physical and psychological support to them and their family members. The visit will last until July 9 and is organized by the Civil Council on Defense and Security in cooperation with the Georgian State Service of Veterans’ Affairs.

 

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