10 years pass from the NATO Bucharest Summit
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The US Heritage Foundation has hosted the event -10 Years after the Bucharest Summit: Strengthening the U.S.-NATO-Georgia Relationship.
The foundation highlighted that 2018 marks two significant anniversaries for Georgia – not only 10 years since Russia aggressively invaded Georgia’s territory, but also 10 years since NATO promised Georgia eventual Alliance membership at the Bucharest Summit.
- Allied leaders agreed at the 2008 Bucharest Summit that Georgia would become a NATO member, provided it meets all necessary requirements – this decision was reconfirmed at NATO Summits in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016.
The Georgian Ambassador to the US David Bakradze delivered his speech at the event, saying Georgia continues its progress to the NATO membership.
Peter Brookes, Heritage Foundation’s Senior Fellow, stated that after 10 years from the Bucharest Summit Russia continued the occupation of the 20percent of the Georgian land.
He stated that the US President Donald Trump’s Administration has confirmed its support to Georgia and the US Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to the country was the "obvious sign” for this.
Brookes also mentioned the Georgian-US deal on Javelins.
The researcher stated that the Trump’s administration was expected to reveal further steps how the country intended to support Georgia’s NATO membership.
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.
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.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin has told TASS news agency that his country is concerned by the "activation of NATO and the United States in Georgia.”
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.
The Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili stated today that Georgia-NATO cooperation has never been as active as it is now.
Forty-nine Georgian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have addressed NATO before its Brussels Summit on July 11 to express genuine support for Georgia during the annual meeting.
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.
Georgian Defence Minister Levan Izoria says that the country will continue to buy military armaments from the United States. Izoria stated today in the wake of the NATO Defence Ministerial last week that the US has “faith in Georgia” and the faith was built due to successful Georgian reforms in the defence field.
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.”