Georgia has made significant progress and its efforts should be reflected appropriately at the NATO summit in Wales this September, believes NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Speaking at an international security forum in Bratislava, Rasmussen said Georgia deserved to be recognized but it was "a bit early to say exactly how”.
Rasmussen made this statement yesterday in response to a Russian expert’s question whether Georgia would get a NATO Action Plan or an invitation to the Alliance at the Wales summit.
"We will address our open-door policy at the Wales summit, but it is a bit early to say exactly how,” the Secretary General said.
"My view is that Georgia has made remarkable progress, carried through reforms, conducted exemplary elections, contributed to NATO operation in Afghanistan. So, Georgia made a lot of progress and that progress should be reflected at the summit appropriately, but exactly how is a bit early to say.’’
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius also spoke about Georgia as he delivered a speech at the Bratislava forum.
He said NATO should have offered MAP to Georgia and Ukraine at the Bucharest Summit in April, 2008.
"Georgia has already been granted a promise that it will definitely become a member of the Alliance. Our blue-print document clearly states this; a NATO-Georgia Commission is also operating today. As an added plus, the Georgian Government has been presented with an Action Plan, for example, MAP, Georgians are on a right track,” he said.
He claimed a political decision to integrate Georgia with the Alliance must be made when "the appropriate time for this comes”.
"However, I would advise my friends to grasp all chances and never abate attention. If they are not ready to join NATO when the time comes … they will not be able to dump their troubles on others,” the Lithuanian Minister said.
Georgia’s State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alex Petriashvili also attended the Forum in Bratislava as an invited special guest.