NATO envoy emphasizes Georgia’s contribution in annual report

In 2014 Georgia made "significant contributions" to NATO-led operations and strengthened its relationship with the Alliance, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted in his Annual Report of 2014, which summed up the past 12 months of NATO activities.

Stoltenberg mentioned Georgia several times in the annual report and stressed the country's aspirations towards joining the North-Atlantic Council.

"[Our] partner countries have been offered the opportunity to craft detailed, tailor-made relationships with NATO. So far enhanced opportunities within the initiative have been formally offered to Australia, Finland, Georgia, Jordan and Sweden in view of the significant contributions these countries have made to NATO-led operations and, more generally, to deepening their relations with NATO,” the report stated.

"We are also reaching out to partners to enable them to better meet security challenges in their own regions. This includes countries like Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia, which share our values and have chosen a European path,” it read.

Stolenberg noted that four NATO partner countries aspired to be a fully-fledged member of the Alliance - Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The NATO Secretary General also mentioned the substantial package offered to Georgia to help come the country move closer to the Alliance.

"NATO leaders also agreed to develop a substantial package of measures with Georgia to help the country prepare for future NATO membership. The measures aim to strengthen the country's capabilities through defence capacity building, training, exercises and enhanced interoperability opportunities,” the report said.