First NATO-Georgia Commission at Warsaw Summit:
Allies vow more support for Georgia

This evening the first North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)-Georgia Commission meeting was held during the Alliance’s Warsaw Summit, where allied foreign ministers recognised Georgia’s vast progress towards Euro-Atlantic integration and promised more support to boost the country’s self-defence capabilities. 

A statement released after the Commission meeting read Georgia had made huge progress in its 25 years of independence and recognised "the unique scope and depth of  relationship” Georgia enjoyed  with NATO. 

In light of this relationship, Allied Ministers welcomed Georgia’s engagement in strategic discussion on Black Sea security and recent developments in the region affecting Euro-Atlantic security,” the NATO statement said. 

Allied Foreign Ministers showed strong support for Georgia. Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement also stressed: 

• Allied Foreign Minsters welcomed the significant progress that has been made in implementing the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP) adopted at NATO Wales Summit. In the context the statement mentioned the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Centre, where more than 30 Allied and partner security experts were supporting Georgia’s security reform efforts. The statement also stressed the significance of the Defence Institution Building School which was inaugurated and which would provide a first pilot course this month.  The Allied Foreign Ministers highlighted the first ever NATO-Georgia exercise that would be repeated in this November and said they supported conducting of the trainings on regular bases; 
• New initiatives to boost Georgia’s self-defence capabilities included increased support for Georgia’s training and education, including through a possible trust fund project, and strategic communications.  Allies said they would provide support to the development of Georgia’s air defence and air surveillance. They also promised to deepen focus on security in the Black Sea region;
• That Georgia’s Foreign Minister reaffirmed Georgia’s determination to achieve NATO membership. He also briefed the NATO representatives over current situation in Georgia’s de facto regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) which are now occupied by Russia. Minister Mikheil Janelidze also stressed Georgia’s commitments to continue comprehensive, democratic reforms. The Minister also welcomed Montenegro’s NATO membership and the Alliance’s open-door policy; 
• Allied Ministers encouraged Georgia to sustain the momentum in its overall reforms, which NATO would continue to support.  NATO ministers  said they looked forward to the October 2016 Parliamentary elections being conducted in accordance with the highest democratic standards; 
• At the 2008 Bucharest Summit, Allies agreed that Georgia would become a member of NATO with MAP as an integral part of the process, they said they were faithful to the promise; 
• Allies highly appreciated Georgia’s significant contribution to the NATO-led operations in Afghanistan and recognised the sacrifices the Georgian people have made for our shared security.  Allies also welcomed Georgia’s contributions to the NATO Response Force. They said these efforts, along with Georgia’s participation in EU-led operations, demonstrated Georgia’s commitment and capability to contribute to Euro-Atlantic security.
• Allies reiterated their full support to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders. They condemned Russia’s illegal activities on the Georgian soil and praised the Georgia's peaceful approach to solving of conflicts. Allies also welcomed the resumption of meetings within the Gali Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) and they encouraged all participants in the Geneva International Discussions to play a constructive role, as well as to continue working closely with the OSCE, the UN, and the EU to pursue peaceful conflict resolution in the internationally recognised territory of Georgia;
• In the final note the Ministers said they looked forward to the visit of the North Atlantic Council in permanent session to Georgia this autumn, which would demonstrate NATO’s political and practical support to Georgia and provide an opportunity to take stock of Georgia’s progress.

See the full text here. 

The NATO Warsaw Summit launched in Poland today and will end tomorrow afternoon.