NATO Sec-Gen says Georgia always on agenda when he meets with Russian officials
The NATO Secretary General and Russian Foreign Minister are scheduled to meet in Munich. Photo: Russian Mission UN.
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that Georgian issues are always raised when he meets with Russian officials, Stoltenberg told Georgian media outlet 1TV.
1TV asked Stoltenberg whether he intends to touch on Georgian issues during his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the 55th Munich Security Conference.
There is no clear agenda of the meeting. However, Georgian and Ukrainian issues are always raised during the meetings with Russian government members. The issues are also discussed within the NATO-Russia council,” Stoltenberg said.
He stated that dialogue with Russia is important, especially when the situation is tense, to prevent further escalation of the situation.
Georgian Defence Minister Levan Izoria is taking part in the NATO two-day foreign minister in Brussels, assembled to discuss pressing security issues, including Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and to review NATO peace missions.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has stated that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will visit Georgia in 2019.
The North Atlantic Council (NAC), a principal political decision-making body of NATO, held a meeting with Georgian and Ukrainian officials in Brussels. Regional security issues, along with Russia’s recent activities against Ukraine in the Sea of Azov, were key issues on the agenda of yesterday’s meeting, the Georgian Foreign Ministry reported.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has stated at the international Georgian Defence and Security Conference in Tbilisi today that Georgia’s integration into NATO is the guarantee of peace and security in the country.
Former Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen says that it is time Georgia start discussions on whether or not to join the alliance with its 5th article on collective defence covering only the Tbilisi-administered territory.
NATO Liaison Office Head to Georgia Rosaria Puglisi says that the alliance is not discussing Georgia’s membership with Article No. 5 on collective defence not covering the country’s two Russian-occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.