NATO Secretary General: “Georgia can join NATO after reforms are carried out”
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Georgia and Ukraine "sooner or later" can become member states of NATO, but at present they should focus on reforms, says NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Stoltenberg made this statement as he spoke at the 63rd annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Bucharest yesterday, Ukrainian media reported.
He said the Alliance is concerned by Russia’s "military build-up close to our borders”.
"Ukraine and Georgia should focus on reforms. These reforms are important, regardless of whether they become members sooner or later, and regardless of what they think about membership", Ukrainform quoted Stoltenberg.
Speaking about NATO's relations with Russia, the head of the Alliance noted the presence of many problematic issues.
Stoltenberg said that NATO does not want to isolate Russia and needs a political dialogue with Moscow, which is based on the strength of the allies.
"We continue to call on Russia to abide by its international commitments. Russia is our neighbour. Russia is here to stay. We do not want to isolate Russia. NATO does not want a new Cold War”, he said.
He added that NATO’s actions are designed to prevent, not provoke, conflict and the alliance is committed to transparency and predictability, which are "in everybody’s interest”.
NATO has denounced Russia’s attempts to intimidate its neighbouring countries who aspire to have closer ties with the Alliance, including Georgia.
For the first time in the history of Georgia-NATO cooperation, the Georgian capital Tbilisi is hosting an annual conference of the NATO Operational Capability Concept Evaluation and Feedback Programme (OCC E&F).
Georgia’s Defence Ministry has held a farewell ceremony for Georgian soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Brigade of the 31st Battalion who are leaving for Afghanistan on a peacekeeping mission.
The largest edition of the annual Noble Partner defence exercise has officially ended at the Vaziani military air base outside the capital of Tbilisi.
A partially exploded military ammunition depot in the village of Skra in the municipality of Gori in central Georgia is now safe and secure after NATO-trained Georgian soldiers have completed a three-year project to clear mines and unexploded munitions from the site.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has made a statement ahead of the Alliance's foreign ministerial, in which he declared the NATO-Georgia partnership is outstanding.
In 2018, NATO will assess the progress of states aspiring to become a member of the organization, including Georgia, James Appathurai NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia said adding that NATO will continue working on bringing aspiring countries further into the fold of the alliance.
General Petr Pavel, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, opened the 178th Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence Session in Brussels today and stated that the alliance will meet Georgian and Ukrainian representatives tomorrow.
The US Heritage Foundation has hosted the event -10 Years after the Bucharest Summit: Strengthening the U.S.-NATO-Georgia Relationship.
The Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili stated today that Georgia-NATO cooperation has never been as active as it is now.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg claims that Georgia will not have to make a choice between its occupied territories of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) and NATO membership.
Jonathan Katz, a senior fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) stated in Washington D.C. yesterday that the democratic reforms which are being carried out in Georgia will lead to “very significant outcomes.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated during the NATO Foreign Ministerial today that Georgia and Ukraine face serious security challenges from Russia and the alliance will continue to give both countries practical and political support.