Georgia’s Defence Minister meets NATO Secretary General
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A Georgian delegation involving the country's Minister of Defence, Mindia Janelidze, has met NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and a team from NATO at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels.
The sides discussed NATO-Georgia relations and future plans of cooperation. A special emphasis was made on Georgia's implementation of the Substantial Package offered to Georgia last September at the NATO Summit in Wales, to help the country move closer to the Alliance.
Georgia’s Defence Minister said implementation of the NATO-Georgia Substantial Package was one of the priorities of the Defence Ministry.
The sides also confirmed that complete implementation the package will assist in the transformation of Georgia’s defence sector, enhance the country's interoperability with NATO, share its experience gained in international operations and contribute to overall development of its defensive capabilities.
We also talked about the implemented and ongoing defence reforms. NATO positively assessed the reformation process and supported the current and planned reforms in the defence and security sphere of Georgia. Secretary General Stoltenberg underscored the importance of Georgia’s contribution to international security,” Janelidze said.
In return, the NATO official said: "We are meeting as part of the NATO-Georgia Commission to discuss current security challenges and priorities for our cooperation."
We are also working with Georgia to implement a substantial package which strengthens Georgia’s defence and ability to work with NATO," Stoltenberg said.
Regional security issues and existing challenges were also discussed at the meeting. The NATO Secretary General reaffirmed the Alliance's strong support towards Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and noted that the recently signed so-called treaty on Alliance and Strategic Partnership between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region was "unacceptable" for the Alliance.
While the Defence delegation is abroad, Minister Janelidze will take part in a NATO Defence Ministerial and deliver a speech at the NATO-Georgia Council (NGC), which focuses on the security environment and existing challenges in the region.
This is the first opportunity since the Wales Summit for NATO Defence Ministers to look at the progress made by Georgia and plan for the 2016 Summit in Warsaw.
Looking ahead, while abroad Georgia's Defence delegation are expected to hold bilateral meetings with American, British, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian and Belgian counterparts.
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