President Margvelashvili sums up Wales Summit

"We are leaving Wales vested with the new tools which will promote Georgia-NATO relations," President Margvelashvili said.
Agenda.ge, 06 Sep 2014 - 12:16, Tbilisi,Georgia

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.