Georgian President holds high-level meetings at NATO Summit
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Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelasvili is rubbing shoulders with world leaders at the NATO Summit in Wales, United Kingdom.
The 2014 NATO Summit in Newport is the largest gathering of international leaders ever to take place in Britain where 60 world leaders, 70 Foreign Ministers, 70 Defence Ministers and 28 NATO member countries are participating in the two-day event.
In Newport, President Margvelashvili had an opportunity to have conversations with the United States (US) President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Earlier today, Margvelashvili also talked with his Ukrainian and Czech counterparts, with the main topic of discussion being the current situation in Eastern Europe.
Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili on a meeting with Czech President Milos Zeman. Photo by President's press-office
Within the Summit, the Georgian President also held a meeting with President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso. The sides discussed Georgia-European Union (EU) relations and the prospects of Georgia’s European integration. The issues related to the implementation of the EU Association Agreement were also heavily discussed.
Margvelashvili stressed that the ratification of this agreement by the European Parliament and EU member nations was "exceedingly important”.
Regional security problems were also touched upon by European officials at their various meetings with the Georgian President. The main discussed issues were the crisis in Ukraine, the situation in Georgia’s occupied territories and the problems facing Georgia-Russia relations.
Later, Margvelashvili also met with his French counterpart, President Francois Hollande and spoke about Georgia’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
President Hollande assured President Margvelashvili that Georgia’s progress would be "appropriately responded to” by allies and partners at the NATO Summit and added that France, as well as other allies, supported Georgia’s integration into the Alliance. Hollande added the NATO Summit in Wales would become a new impetus for Georgia.
French President Francois Hollande and Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili on today's meeting within the NATO Summit. Photo by President's press-office
In addition, the President expressed his appreciation for Georgia’s contribution to the EU-led mission to the Central African Republic. In return, Margvelashvili thanked his French colleague for the support of his country to Georgia’s integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures.
Furthermore, the leaders also discussed specific mechanisms that should be applied by the international community to strengthen security in Georgia and the rest of the region. The Ukraine crisis and the state of Georgia-Russia relations were also discussed at the meeting.
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The State Minister of Georgia for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alex Petriashvili explains the meaning of the package being offered by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) to Georgia at the NATO Summit in the United Kingdom.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has agreed in principle to offer "a substantive package” to Georgia to help it come closer to NATO but made no mention of membership.
On the opening day of the NATO Summit in Wales, Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili met NATO’s top official and spoke briefly on the support package NATO will offer Georgia in the next two days.
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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Georgia will not be offered a Membership Action Plan (MAP) at the NATO Summit in Wales in September.
The NATO Summit meeting in Wales comes at a critical time in the Alliance’s history – when the global security environment is becoming increasingly unpredictable and unstable, says NATO.
NATO may hold military exercises in Georgia and establish a military training centre in the country, see more Georgian participation in NATO exercises and possibly expand the local NATO liaison office - a top NATO official said.
A Georgian delegation, led by President Giorgi Margvelashvili, has left for the United Kingdom to take part in the NATO Summit in Wales on September 4 and 5.