NATO Parliamentary Assembly session kicks off in Tbilisi
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The spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) has officially kicked off in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi today.
This is the first time Georgia is hosting a NATO PA session.
In the history of NATO, there have been only four cases when a session was held in a non-member country and today all of those four are already NATO members. Thus, Georgia ascribes great importance to this event.
#natopatbilisi kicksoff at @Geoparliament@paoloalli reaffirms NATO PA support for #Georgia territorial integrity & EuroAtlantic integration pic.twitter.com/JOJrKSNhnC
— NATO PA (@natopapress) May 26, 2017
The session was opened with a joint press conference by NATO PA President Paolo Alli, NATO PA Secretary General David Hobbs, Georgia Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze and Head of the Georgian Delegation to the NATO PA Irakli Sesiashvili. They stressed the importance of Georgia for security and stability in the region and world.
"Stability and security in Georgia is very important for stability in the region, and the stability in this region is very important for all western countries. By protecting and supporting Georgia and its territorial integrity, we protect our countries too. This is the reason why we decided to come here”, President Alli said.
"Normally, NATO PAs are not held in non-NATO countries. This is happening only for the fifth time in our history, so this our way to say that we feel responsible for Georgia on its path to reforms”.
Kobakhidze said that becoming a member of NATO is a choice of the Georgian people and NATO.
The session brings together in Tbilisi some 300 parliamentarians from the 28 NATO member countries from North America and Europe as well as delegates from partner countries and observers to discuss current international security issues and the reports prepared by the Assembly’s Committees.
From today to May 29 in Tbilisi for the #NATO Parliamentary Assembly Spring Session #NatoPATbilisipic.twitter.com/erKHgn2cDx
— Paolo Alli (@paoloalli) May 26, 2017
Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 May will be devoted to the meetings of the NATO PA’s five Committees: Political, Defence and Security, Science and Technology, Civil Dimension of Security and Economics and Security. Each Committee will be addressed by speakers from government, academia, NGO’s and NATO.
The Plenary Session on Monday 29 May will be addressed by NATO PA President Paolo Alli, Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze, Deputy Secretary General of NATO Rose Gottemoeller and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine Andriy Parubiy.
The opening of the NATO PA spring session coincided with another big event for Georgia - the country's Independence Day.
Happy National Day to our Session host #Georgia who declared independence & democratic Republic on #26May 1918 #natopatbilisi#Rustaveli850pic.twitter.com/MeaeAcErvL
— NATO PA (@natopapress) May 26, 2017
Deepening bilateral cooperation between Georgia and Slovakia and Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations are among the issues Georgian and Slovak Presidents discussed during their today’s meeting in Bratislava.
Georgian service members are part of the Spring Storm 2017 international defence drills hosted by Estonia and featuring troops from over a dozen European and North American nations.
Georgian children from the capital of Tbilisi and other towns in Georgia sent letters of support to soldiers serving in Afghanistan.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that the Alliance supports Georgia’s aspirations to become a NATO member.
NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) reaffirms its full support to Georgia's territorial integrity within its internationally-recognised borders.
Georgian President Giorgi Margevlashvili met with Paolo Alli President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) within the NATO PA spring session in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi.
Georgia has all the practical instruments for integrating into NATO, Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze said at today’s NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) session.
NATO door is open to those who share the alliance’ values, meet its standards and want to contribute to the joint efforts, and holding a NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) session in Tbilisi, Georgia is a proof of this commitment.
NATO Parliamentarians have adopted a declaration in support of Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly session in Tbilisi today.
NATO-Georgia's Joint Training and Evaluation Centre (JTEC) hosted a visit by the alliance's Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller earlier today, as the NATO Parliamentary Assembly prepares to wind down in capital Tbilisi.