NATO’s James Appathurai: North Atlantic Council had 'excellent visit' to Georgia
James Appathurai is the Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy and NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia. Photo: Shot from a video by President of Georgia's press office
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NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai said the North Atlantic Council (NAC) had “a really excellent visit” to Georgia.
NAC, which is the principal political decision-making body of NATO, was visiting the Georgian Black Sea town of Batumi on October 3-4.
NATO's @JamesAppathurai on the North Atlantic Council's meeting with President @Zourabichvili_S pic.twitter.com/8F3fvpt3sE
— Orbeliani Presidential Palace (@GeorgiaPres) October 4, 2019
During their visit, the NATO officials held a number of meetings with Georgian officials, including President Salome Zurabishvili and Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia.
Appathurai said President Zurabishvili highlighted the extent to which the ‘borderisation’ is causing a pain and dislocation for Georgian people”.
More largely, Russia is stepping up its activities in the country… we together, need to put as much public pressure and diplomatic pressure on Russia to cease this activity”, he cited Zurabishvili.
The North Atlantic Council’s visit to Batumi is historic and yet another step forward on Georgia’s steadfast road toward @NATO. We are now closer to Brussels than ever before. pic.twitter.com/T7aZZ7oQ87
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) October 4, 2019
Appathurai said the NATO Ambassadors “welcomed very much” Zurabishvili’s commitment “to contribute to reform in the country but also to improving the political atmosphere in the run up to the elections”.
What she heard and what all the ministers have heard here is NATO’s firm commitment to Georgia’s territorial integrity, political sovereignty, to its Euro-Atlantic future towards NATO, to our commitment to upgrade the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package, to put more substance, in other words more Georgia in NATO, more NATO in Georgia”, Appathurai stated.
He also voiced a “very strong message” from NATO Ambassadors and the Chairman of the Military Committee that they have respect "for what Georgian soldiers do and sacrifice they have made".
We know the 32 Georgian soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan... We don’t forget them and they have been remembered in all our meetings”, he concluded.
“Georgia will become a member of @NATO”. Thank you for your strong statement during our joint press conference, @Gottemoeller. pic.twitter.com/GYhqg1clIF
— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) October 4, 2019
The NAC delegation, composed of 29 Ambassadors of NATO member states, was led by the NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller.
During their visit they held a NATO-Georgia Commission meeting and adopted a joint statement expressing their readiness “to further enhance” their cooperation as well.