Foreign Minister: “NATO membership is top priority for Georgian Gov’t”

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. 

I met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with Georgia’s Minister of Defence Tinatin Khidasheli [and] it was a signal and a show of demonstration that NATO membership is a top priority for us,” Kvirikashvili said in a statement released by the Foreign Ministry. 

Georgia’s Foreign Minister Giorgi Kvirikahsvili meets NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels. Photo by Georgia’s Foreign Ministry. 

The Georgian and NATO sides discussed a wide range of topics, ranging from next year’s NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland to Georgia’s merit of involvement in international peace and security missions. 

Kvirikashvili said becoming a member of NATO was the ultimate goal and emphasized that the Georgian and NATO officials discussed the specific steps Georgia could take to gain unanimity about Georgia-related issues among all 28 NATO member states. 

He added the NATO Secretary General promised to help the Alliance come together with a consolidated view to "appropriately appreciate” the progress Georgia had made towards NATO membership.

What type of appreciation it might be, a Membership Action Plan (MAP) or some other, only time will tell. Of course a MAP is the logical continuation of the process however our main aim is NATO membership,” Kvirikashvili said. 

During the meeting Stoltenberg thanked Georgia for its commitment to international peacekeeping missions and praised Georgian soldiers and their professionalism, as well as Georgia’s successful reforms.

He also reiterated NATO’s strong support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the statement said.

Kvirikashvili was scheduled to complete his three-day trip to Belgium tomorrow. 

Before departing Kvirikashvili  will meet High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, Special Representative of the European Union for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Herbert Salber, European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström, Belgium’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Didier Reynders and several others.