NATO is fully committed to Georgia’s future membership

NATO and Georgia officials have gathered in Brussels to discuss the country's progress of reforms and how the Alliance can assist Georgia as it moves to realise its European aspirations.

The parties discussed Georgia’s Annual National Program (ANP) - a document which reflects Georgia's short-to medium-term strategy that covers various issues ranging from military reforms to foreign and security policy and economic development, at the NATO-Georgian Commission (NGC) meeting held at the NATO headquarters on January 14.

Permanent representatives of the Alliance member states positively assessed the reforms Georgia had carried out within the ANP for 2014.

At the meeting Georgian State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Davit Bakradze and Deputy Foreign Minister Davit Dondua met with NATO's Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow, who later wrote on his Twitter account: "NATO is fully committed to Georgia’s future membership. All tools are in place to move forward with Georgia’s aspirations.” 

#NATO is fully committed to #Georgia’s future membership. All tools are in place to move forward with Georgia’s aspirations

— Alexander Vershbow (@NATOdsg) January 14, 2015

#NATO & aspiring member #Georgia have robust partnership w/ high degree of interoperability of forces thanks to mission in #Afghanistan

— Alexander Vershbow (@NATOdsg) January 14, 2015

Everyone at the meeting agreed Georgia had made a significant contribution to strengthening Euro-Atlantic security and emphasized Georgia's participation in the ISAF operations and in a new, NATO-led mission called Resolute Support.

The Alliance again reaffirmed its commitment to the decision adopted at the 2008 Bucharest Summit and underlined that the Alliance strongly supported Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, the press office of the Georgian Foreign Ministry said.

Moreover, the Alliance expressed its readiness to take an active part as Georgia moved to realise the substantial package offered by NATO at the Wales Summit last year.

The risks and threats coming from the so-called treaty signed between Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia and Russia also were discussed at the meeting.

"The Allies expressed their concern over the aggressive, illegitimate and unlawful policy the Russian Federation has been carrying out towards the neighboring countries and reaffirmed NATO's support for Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the Ministry’s press office said.

The NGC was established in September 2008 to serve as a forum for political consultations and practical cooperation to help Georgia achieve its goal of NATO membership.