US Congressman Adam Kinzinger: "Time for Georgia to be fully a member of NATO"
Congressman Kinzinger spoke at the online webinar that also featured Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and foreign officials and researchers. Photo via Rep. Adam Kinzinger Page on Facebook.
Tweet 
Share
Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Co-chair of the Friends of Georgia Group in the United States Congress and a Republican Party member, said it is "time for Georgia to be fully a member of NATO" in his address as part of the 'Peace and Security in Europe' online conference on Friday.
Kinzinger spoke at the webinar organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia in cooperation with the Middle East Institute’s Frontier Europe Initiative and also featuring Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani along with foreign officials and researchers.
In his introductory words the American congressman said 12 years of Russian occupation since the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia were "12 years too long" and added the occupation should not be a reason to impede the country's membership in the alliance.
I believe it's time for Georgia to be fully a member of NATO - I'm sure a lot of my frends on here agree with that. And in fact, the fact that Georgia is occupied shouldn't be the reason that Georgia does not come into NATO - it should actually be the impetus to get them in there," the Republican Party member told the webinar.
Kinzinger also spoke of Georgia being a significant member of NATO's Resolute Support peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan and stressed the scale of the country's effort in the mission.
Georgia is among the strongest partners in the war in Afghanistan. When it comes to per capita involvement Georgia is basically second only to the Unites States in terms of their involvement in Afghanistan, and I think a very, very important partner in the future," the congressman noted.
The opening remarks from the American politician also involved mentions of bills and the National Defense Authorization Act, approved by US lawmakers recently and featuring ongoing support for Georgia.
Kinzinger's words came at the webinar 'Peace and Security in Europe: 12 years of Georgia’s Struggle for De-Occupation' was broadcast on YouTube and Twitter by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia.
Georgian national flags were lowered to half mast on Saturday as government officials and Georgia's international partners marked 12 years since the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia.
Georgian Coast Guard was among navies from NATO member states and partners last week marking over two decades of partnership for Black Sea security through the Sea Breeze 2020 maritime drills.
NATO Foreign Ministers have decided to deepen their partnerships with Georgia and Ukraine including with exercises in the strategic Black Sea region. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this includes joint work to counter hybrid warfare, as well as efforts to share more air traffic radar data, “making the skies safer for all”.
The Georgian Border Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is hosting Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2) in the territorial waters of Georgia in the Black Sea port town of Poti. Within the visit SNMG2 will conduct combined maritime exercise training with Georgian Coast Guard vessels Ochamchire and Dioskuria.
Georgia is fully ready to be a NATO member state, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia told local media on Saturday as his government marked 12 years since the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia.
No nation has contributed more to NATO efforts than Georgia, retired four-star general Philip Mark Breedlove told Voice of America in an interview about the alliance, the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia and more.
CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation Adam Boehler has tweeted tht he looks forward to working with the Georgian government 'as we continue building our strategic and economic relationship with Georgia'.
In an interview with the Georgian edition Voice of America, former NATO Commander James Stavridis says that NATO membership for Georgia will become more realistic if the country’s occupied territories will be viewed as frozen conflicts.
Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia met NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg earlier today at NATO headquarters in Brussels, where Black Sea security, air traffic radar data sharing, upcoming elections in Georgia and the challenges and progress of the country on the path to NATO membership were discussed.
US President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for the post of State Secretary Antony Blinken has stated that if Georgia meets the criteria for NATO membership then the alliance should keep its door open for the country, Voice of America has cited Blinken as saying during the recent meeting of the Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
The approval of the Georgia Support Act by the United States House of Representatives “reaffirms and increases the strength” of the strategic partnership between the two countries, Irakli Garibashvili, the Prime Minister of Georgia, said on Thursday.
Congressman Adam Kinzinger, the Co-Chair of the Georgia Caucus of the United States House of Representatives, on Sunday made a call for sending the high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) platforms to Georgia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.