United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will visit Georgia next week, said Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs John Kirby on Tuesday.

“Lloyd Austin and his team are preparing for a trip to Europe next week. Stops will include Georgia, Ukraine and Romania, and he will conclude this important visit with allies and partners in Brussels for the NATO Defense Ministerial,” John Kirby noted.

.@PentagonPresSec: @SecDef and his team are preparing for a trip to Europe next week. Stops will include Georgia, Ukraine and Romania, and he will conclude this important visit with allies and partners in Brussels for the @NATO Defense Ministerial. pic.twitter.com/WLuzRTQfm8

— Department of Defense ?? (@DeptofDefense) October 12, 2021

Georgian Defence Ministry confirms the upcoming visit, dubbing it ‘historic.’ The Ministry believes the visit will ‘further strengthen’ the close cooperation between Georgia and the US in the field of defense as well as the strategic partnership.

“Lloyd Austin made one of the first telephone calls to the Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze after being appointed United States Secretary of Defense. In a call, he stressed the importance of cooperation with Georgia as a distinguished and reliable strategic partner,” the statement said.