Norway Foreign Minister: Georgia should become NATO member

Norway supports Georgia’s NATO membership and will remain faithful to this idea at the next summit of the Alliance.

Norway’s support for Georgia was voiced by the nation’s Foreign Minister Borge Brende, who paid an official visit to Tbilisi yesterday.

"For the next summit we will necessarily toe the line that Georgia should become a NATO member,” said Brende at a press conference held together with Georgia’s Foreign Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.

This was Brende’s first Georgia visit.

"I am glad that cooperation and partnership between the two countries has begun and will continue in the future,” he said.

The Norwegian official praised Georgia’s reform progress and said the country’s recent democratic development was "impressive”.

"[Georgia] was able to solve serious problems and it supports further implementation of reforms,” he said.

While here Brende visited the occupation line at the Administrative Boundary Line (ABL) between Russian occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region and the rest of Georgia. He said this was his chance to strongly express his country’s full support towards Georgia’s territorial integrity.

Speaking afterwards he said: "I had the opportunity to meet with the Baltic and Nordic foreign ministers in Copenhagen yesterday,” Brende said.

"We gathered at a dinner and we all agreed to support Georgia. We want Georgia to remain a sovereign and democratic state, as it is now. This is an extremely important agreement. You can hope for our support.”

Meanwhile yesterday Brende announced his Georgian counterpart Giorgi Kvirikashvili would go to Norway for an official visit. He did not specify the date.

Earlier in the day Brende met Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and discussed the increased cooperation between the two states.