EU and IOM Donate Fast Response Boats to Georgia’s Coast Guard
Poti, 16 June 2022 – The Ministry of Internal Affairs, the International Organisation for Migration and the European Union hosted a donation ceremony for four modern boats in Poti.
During the ceremony, Catalin Gherman, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union, stated, “Safe and secure borders are key for citizens in Georgia, as in any country. Ensuring security of and around the Black Sea - the physical bridge between the EU and Georgia - is a shared priority for both Georgia and the EU. We are proud to work together in this direction with our partners in the International Organisation of Migration and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And we will continue to help Georgia keep its borders safe and secure in the coming years, as we have in the last decade.”
Sanja Celebic Lukovac, IOM Chief of Mission stated, “This donation follows up on a broad procurement operation implemented by IOM with the support of the EU in the last decade, dedicated to enhancing Georgia’s border management capacities. We are delighted that from now on, Georgian coast guard personnel have the opportunity to operate these newly procured boats to patrol the maritime space of Georgia and to conduct search and rescue operations even more effectively.”
About the boats
The boats will be deployed in Poti and Batumi to support Coast Guard in patrolling inshore waters and implementation of effective search and rescue operations, also contributing to increased interdiction capability. The basic specifications of the boats have been adjusted to the needs of the Coast Guard to ensure compatibility with the equipment and maritime surveillance systems already in place in Georgia. The donation was preceded by the theoretical and practical trainings of Coast Guard personnel in both operations and maintenance of the boats.
About the project
The project titled “Support to Integrated Border Management in Georgia” is implemented by IOM, in the framework of the EU’s EU4 Security, Accountability and Fight against Crime in Georgia (SAFE) Programme. It follows up on comprehensive EU support over the last 10 years, dedicated to strengthening Georgia’s immigration and border management capabilities, to cement compliance with relevant EU-Georgia Agreements and the visa liberalisation benchmarks. Under this action, throughout 2020-2021, the MIA Border Police has already received 40 vehicles, 200 portable and mobile radio communication devices and 60 personal computer sets with a total value of over GEL 3.5 million.