President Margvelashvili sums up Wales Summit
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The NATO Summit in Wales has ended and the President of Georgia is leaving on a high note.
President Giorgi Margvelashvili held a special press conference summarising the results achieved by Georgia at the Summit, which was the largest gathering of international leaders ever to take place in Britain and attended by 60 world leaders, 70 Foreign Ministers, 70 Defence Ministers and 28 NATO member countries.
President Margvelashvili commended the UK Government for its "gracious hospitality and excellent organisation of the Summit" and thanked the Georgian delegation "for achieving success" as well.
"Today we are leaving Wales vested with new tools and new resources which will enhance Georgia-NATO relations," Margvelashvili said.
Prior to arriving in Wales, President Margvelashvili said the Georgian delegation had come up with some important goals in terms of Georgia’s integration into NATO, which included having Georgia be adequately recognised for its recent progress, as well as recognition of the country’s huge contribution in activities aimed at ensuring global security.
"We can state that our allies have appreciated the steps we have made, including the democratic changes carried out in our country, the effective reforms carried out at the Ministry of Defence and with our troops [and] the contribution and the heroism of our soldiers within the ISAF mission," President Margvelashvili said.
While Georgia wasn’t offered a Membership Action Plan (MAP) that was a direct step towards NATO membership, Margvelashvili said Georgia had been rewarded "in another way”.
"Georgia has levelled up to its partners. Now we have taken a position beside Finland, Sweden, Australia and Jordan – those five nations having closer cooperation with the Alliance," he added in reference to Georgia being awarded Gold Card status.
"We are leaving the NATO Summit with a set of tools that will not only push Georgia forward in terms of NATO membership but will make Georgia and the whole region more secured, safer, because very specific formats of cooperation have been determined, including the growth of our defence capability,” the President said.
He believed the new support offered to Georgia would provide Georgia with a high level of security before the country eventually becomes a fully-fledged member of NATO.
He also stressed he was grateful for the support Georgia had received from its allies in terms of respecting Georgia’s territorial integrity and for its approach towards problems in its occupied regions.
At the Summit it was emphasized that the Russian Federation should recall its recognition of Abkhazia and Ossetia as independent states and facilitate these two breakaway regions reconnect with Georgia to and restore Georgia’s territorial unity.
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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A positive report of Georgia and the success of its recent local elections could play an important part in the country’s future relationship with NATO.
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.
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.
Georgia’s efforts have been recognised by NATO leaders at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Summit in Wales. NATO officials praised Georgia for its efforts to progress its nation and reconfirmed its intentions to one day invite Georgia into the Alliance.
Georgia has done "an extremely good job” of becoming interoperable with NATO, the Alliance’s top military commander says.