Georgia’s MAP will come, PM believes

Georgia is on the right path towards becoming integrated with Europe and if it doesnt happen now, it will happen soon, says Georgias Prime Minister.  

Irakli Garibashvili said the Government was doing its best to meet the criteria in order to be offered a Membership Action Plan (MAP) and achieve membership with NATO.  

Garibashvili claimed the previous Government raised false expectations surrounding MAP, which resulted in frustration from the Georgian people.  

"We are not going to do the same. We are working and show the results through working, he said at the meeting with media yesterday.  

"Our foreign vector does not change. If we do not receive a MAP now, we will receive it later. This is not a principal issue but if someone asks us if we want to receive it or not, then of course, yes we do, he explained.  

The Prime Ministers comments contrasted with Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili, who earlier said that if Georgia was not offered a MAP at the NATO Summit in Wales in September, it could "ruin and undermine the countrys political stability. It could also pose a threat to Georgias EU integration.  

Usupashvili stressed MAP was a magical phrase that had a deep meaning for many Georgians.  

"It has become a symbol of an answer to the question does the free world need Georgia? Does the free world fulfill its promise that Georgia will become a member of NATO, Usupashvili said.  

He warned that if the 2014 NATO Summit ended with only a little progress being made, without Georgia receiving a MAP, the result would not be enough for Georgian people.

"It will be very hard to explain the results as positive, he said.  

Usupashvili recalled former government's earlier attempt to claim a positive result when Georgia was denied a MAP. At the Bucharest Summit in 2008, Georgia was refused a MAP however NATO promised that the country would become a member of the alliance someday in the future on the condition that it met all the necessary criteria.

At the time, the United States, Canada, and most East European states were in favor of granting Georgia a MAP but Germany, France and most other West European states were against.

Currently, NATOs position toward Georgia receiving a MAP is neutral. At the Georgia-NATO Commission session in Brussels last month, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh  Rasmussen said Georgia had moved much closer to NATO but there was still work to be done.  

  The MAP, launched in April 1999, offers aspiring NATO members practical advice and targeted assistance. In turn, aspiring members are expected to meet certain key requirements. NATOs essential purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.