TBILISI, FEBRUARY 4, NOYAN TAPAN - CAUCASUS PRESS. Four Republican Senators - John Kyle, James Risch, Mark Kirk and James Inhofe - have suggested Pentagon to deploy missile defenses in the Republic of Georgia. In the letter sent to the Department of Defense they say "they have been deeply troubled that Turkey has reportedly suggested that it will not agree to host a missile defense radar (known as the TGY-2 radar) unless the United States agrees that such information will not be shared with the state of Israel. Obviously, the United States cannot, and must not , agree to any such limitation". "Clearly, it makes sense to consider alternate sites for the radar. We believe the Republic of Georgia`s geographic location would make it an ideal site for a missile defense radar... What`s more, the Republic of Georgia should be a significant partner for future defense cooperation with the U.S., whether as a future member of NATO or in another capacity; it is already one of our nation`s most loyal allies in the NATO mission in Afghanistan", the letter says. The initiative has been positively assessed in Tbilisi. Georgian political experts say it is significant because in Georgia`s two occupied regions missile systems have been deployed and Georgia`s capabilities at this stage do not allow avoiding them. The experts also say Georgia is NATO`s ally and makes significant contribution to its development.

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