EU and NATO are Georgia’s future, says President Margvelashvili
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Day two of the NATO-Georgia Public Diplomacy Forum in Tbilisi has opened with President Giorgi Margvelashvili and Defence Minister Tinatin Khidasheli addressing guests about why Georgia wants to be part of NATO and why NATO should want Georgia as a member.
"Georgia has never spared any effort for global stability and these efforts were not only expressed through political statements but through our soldiers’ participation in various international missions,” President Margvelashvili said.
He strongly believed Georgia’s future was within Euro-Atlantic structures.
"We clearly see our country’s cultural and political future in the European Union. We clearly see NATO as a security umbrella under which we should, and we will unite and strengthen it by our participation and we will bring more peace to the countries in our region and worldwide,” Margvelashvili said.
A large part of the President’s speech was devoted to the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. Margvelashvili called on neighbouring Armenia and Azerbaijan to do their best to end the conflict with minimal tension. He said diplomacy and the global community’s involvement would be the best way to resolve the ongoing issue.
"#Warsawsummit should prove to our people that More #Nato in #Georgia is a reality" #NATOGeoPDForum@tinakhidashelipic.twitter.com/ITFQZ1xnhN
— MOD Georgia (@ModGovGe) April 5, 2016
Meanwhile Defence Minister Khidasheli spoke about what she believed Georgia deserved to receive at the NATO Summit scheduled in Warsaw, Poland in summer.
"Our goal is for Georgia to be far stronger after the Warsaw Summit than it is today,” Khidasheli said.
She noted Georgia should not be seen as a threat but as an opportunity.
.@tinakhidasheli#Georgia has been a loyal and reliable Nato partner in Caucasus for two decades #NATOGeoPDForumpic.twitter.com/l8WMSnxn5c
— Mariam Takaishvili (@mtakaishvili) April 5, 2016
"For the past two decades Georgia has been a reliable and loyal partner for NATO and has been trying to prove how important it is to have a stable partner in the Caucasus,” the Minister said.
United States (US) Ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly voiced supportive messages for Georgia at today’s NATO-Georgia forum.
"NATO has said Georgia has all necessary tools to enter the alliance. We expect that NATO’s Warsaw Summit will help Georgia. We support Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic path,” the Ambassador said.
The NATO-Georgia Public Diplomacy Forum, which opened yesterday, marked the beginning of NATO Week 2016 in Georgia.
#Tbilisi city council building in honour of #NATO week 2016 #Georgia@NATO@ModGovGepic.twitter.com/gku5CY3nwT
— Andrea Keerbs (@AndreaKeerbs) April 4, 2016
NATO Week 2016 will last until April 19 and will feature a number of educational and cultural events to raise NATO awareness in Tbilisi and across the country.
Georgia wants to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and at this year’s NATO Summit in Warsaw, the country wants to hear a "clear message” that it is getting closer to the alliance.
“Georgia is a victim of Russia’s creeping occupation”
Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili has addressed dozens of world leaders at the first United Nations (UN) World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey today and reminded them Georgia was a victim of Russia’s creeping occupation.
Members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) have urged leaders to reaffirm Georgia’s prospects of joining the Alliance one day.
In capital Berlin yesterday Margvelashvili met German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Germany’s top official said her country remained a strong supporter of Georgia’s democratic advancement, said the Georgian President’s Administration.
Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili is optimistic of the country's future with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and says there have been several examples in history when countries with occupied territories and disputed borders were accepted into the alliance.