NATO welcomes Georgia’s reform progress
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A high-ranking official from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has commended Georgia for its "considerable" reforms.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow welcomed Georgia’s Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili to Brussels today and acknowledged the "good progress” the country had made regarding the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package, which aimed to help Georgia strengthen and develop its forces and defence system.
Meanwhile today a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission was held in Brussels where diplomats from all NATO member states thanked Tbilisi for its "major contribution” to NATO missions and operations.
"[These contributions] have further developed Georgia’s ability to work seamlessly alongside Allied forces,” said the NATO diplomats.
Georgia is currently the second largest contributor to the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. Since 2010 Georgia has lost 30 soldiers and 273 have been wounded in NATO peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan.
#NATO-#Georgia Commission discusses state of partnership & reform progress http://t.co/oVx5sNgaTlpic.twitter.com/CMNSda94LJ
— NATO (@NATO) July 22, 2015
Usupashvili briefed NATO officials about the current tense situation along the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) between Georgia’s breakaway Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia) and the rest of the country. At this site earlier this month Russian occupation forces advanced 2km deeper into Georgian territory.
Vershbow further made clear that NATO allies "fully” supported Georgia’s territorial integrity within its internationally-recognised borders.
Following the meeting Usupashvili said the talks lasted an hour longer than scheduled as NATO allies were "very interested in what is going on in Georgia”.
The Commission encouraged Georgia to continue its efforts to implement the Substantial Package.
Georgia is an aspirant country for NATO membership. It actively contributes to NATO-led operations and cooperates with the Alliance's allies and other partner countries in many other areas.
At the Bucharest Summit in April 2008, allied heads of state and governments agreed Georgia would become a member of NATO. This decision was subsequently reconfirmed at successive NATO Summits in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014.
Speeding up Georgia’s integration into NATO and strengthening the country’s defence capabilities are two goals the Georgian Parliament Speaker will try to get closer to at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels tomorrow.
Georgia is asking NATO to offer the country a Membership Action Plan (MAP) at the Warsaw Summit planned for July 2016.
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.
Buried chemical explosives used in past conflicts have been discovered by Georgian soldiers near a heavily-populated German military base in northern Afghanistan.
A special YouTube report by Jeff Holden from NATOchannel.tv outlined the mission and detailed the importance of Georgia’s contribution to NATO missions, despite it not being a member nation.
The top official of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is coming to Georgia today but according to his agenda the main activities of the visit are planned for tomorrow, August 27.
Georgia is a "strong and reliable contributor to the shared security” so "NATO counts on Georgia and Georgia can count on NATO.”
The Substantial NATO-Georgia Package that was offered to the country last year is beginning to deliver tangible results, as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg inaugurated the new Training Centre during his first visit to Tbilisi today.
Georgia’s Parliament Speaker David Usupashvili is set to pay a working visit to the United States (US).
Membership to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) remains as the major topic in Georgia’s political agenda,” stated Georgia’s Foreign Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili after meeting NATO’s top official at the Alliance’s headquarters in Belgium, Brussels yesterday.