CRI听力:Pentagon Chief Pledges Support for Georgia's NATO Bid

U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has vowed to help further strengthen Georgia's military during a rare visit to the former Soviet republic.

He is the first US Defense Secretary to visit Georgia since 2003.

Hagel traveled to Tbilisi from the NATO summit in Wales, where Georgia was given an enhanced status that inched it closer to its goal of NATO membership.

He praised the package of measures promised to Georgia, which includes plans to build a military training center, enhanced intelligence sharing, and more joint exercises.

"The enhanced partnership status, relationship that Georgia has just received in NATO is going to expand significantly defence capabilities, training, equipping, partnership possibilities for Georgia with all of the NATO partners."

Georgia's Defence Minister Irakli Alasania says the enhanced partnership with NATO will not target any specific country.

Georgia has been watching Ukraine's crisis with alarm after fighting its own brief war with Russia in 2008.

Moscow said the five-day war with Georgia was to protect people in the separatist territory of South Ossetia from attacks by Tbilisi's troops, while Georgia and its Western allies accused Russia of an act of aggression.