Ex-deputy Sec-General of NATO: new status for Georgia, Ukraine may push forward their NATO membership
Alexander Vershbow, a former deputy secretary general of NATO and US ex-ambassador to Russia, has spoken about Georgia’s and Ukraine’s prospects for NATO membership. Photo: cbc.
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Former deputy secretary general of NATO and US ex-ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow says that the creation of a new status for Georgia and Ukraine may push forward the countries’ NATO membership.
At an online event by Atlantic Council yesterday, Vershbow said that this could be the status of an associated member.
Vershbow said that NATO promised Georgia and Ukraine to allow them into the alliance. However, he said that the alliance was unsure of how membership could be achieved, as the countries have their territories occupied.
He stated that the creation of the new status for the two countries may resolve the problem for membership.
In his previous interviews Vershbow said that “Russia thinks it can block NATO accession by occupying Georgian (and Ukrainian) territory. Georgia is stuck in limbo as long as Russia is ruled by leaders ready to use force to block its path to NATO.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg considers Georgia and Ukraine “two close partners” of the alliance in the Black Sea region. Stoltenberg made the remarks at a news briefing with Prime Minister of Romania Ludovic Orban on January 9.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said ahead of the Munich Security Conference yesterday that Georgia is “a close partner” of the alliance. “We work closely with Georgia. We support them on their efforts to implement reform, but we also welcome the fact that Georgia provides support to NATO in many different ways”, Stoltenberg stated.
Former senior British military officer and the former Leader of the British Conservatives in the European Parliament Geoffrey van Orden says the process of Georgia’s joining the NATO is well underway.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow will visit Georgia in three weeks and discuss Georgia's implementation of the support package offered by the Alliance at the last NATO Summit in September 2014.
NATO online foreign ministerial will kick off today with a focus on Black Sea security and ways to support NATO allies Georgia and Ukraine.