The Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP) has been updated following the NATO foreign ministerial yesterday, and NATO experts have called for strengthening partnership with ‘valued partners - Georgia and Ukraine’, Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani stated earlier today.
Zalkaliani said that three programmes have been added to the initial 14 programmes of the SNGP which means increased defense capabilities and bringing Georgia closer to NATO membership.
The ministerial ended with important results for Georgia. All foreign ministers attending the online ministerial admitted Georgia’s important progress on its Euro-Atlantic path,” Zalkaliani said.
Glad 2 participate in #NATO Foreign Minister’s meeting!???????? received refreshed SNGP 2 increase defense capabilities & bring????????closer 2 membership! We discussed issues of BlackSea security.????????&????????participation in NATO high level fomats has a great importance @DmytroKuleba @RauZbigniew pic.twitter.com/q9DMbTEhKN
— David Zalkaliani (@DZalkaliani) December 2, 2020
Zalkaliani stated that Georgia’s invitation to the NATO foreign ministerial ‘also indicates Georgia's importance for the alliance.’
He stated that the report by NATO experts ‘is significant’ in terms of Georgia’s prospects for NATO membership.
A group of experts appointed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in their report released on December 1 that the alliance “should expand and strengthen partnerships with Ukraine and Georgia as the vulnerable democracies that seek membership and are under constant external and internal pressure from Russia”.