Georgian PM invited to attend, deliver a speech at Brussels Forum, in parallel with NATO summit
PM Irakli Garibashvili has stated that Georgia is expecting NATO to respect the country’s progress during its summit today. Photo: IPN.
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Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has been invited to participate and deliver a speech at Brussels Forum which will take place in parallel with the NATO June 14 summit, the Georgian Foreign Ministry says.
The ministry states that the NATO secretary general, German chancellor, Canadian PM and other top foreign officials will also participate in the forum.
Garibashvili will deliver his speech during the panel named Investing in Resilience which will focus on the importance of cooperation between NATO allies.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has stated that despite the 2021 format of the NATO summit, which is attended only by its member states, Georgia has managed to be present in Brussels during the event to push forward its priorities.
Today, NATO Leaders will take decisions to strengthen the Alliance for the future.
— NATO (@NATO) June 14, 2021
Here's what's on the agenda#NATOSummit | #NATO2030 pic.twitter.com/ovl3CaAUaF
NATO summit has already opened and Zalkaliani stated that Georgia expects the communique adopted during the summit ‘will reflect Georgia’s progress, NATO’s firm support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and severe humanitarian situation in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali and Abkhazia regions.’
Garibashvili said that ‘we wait from NATO to appropriately evaluate and respect our progress’ during the summit.
Arriving at the summit earlier today NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the meeting would be a pivotal moment for the alliance and a time to ‘open a new chapter in our transatlantic relations.’
He said that NATO relations with Russia were ‘at its lowest point since the Cold War because of Russia’s pattern of aggressive behaviour.’
The day has arrived! Today @NATO Headquarters hosts Allied heads of state and government, as well as foreign and defense ministers, to address key transatlantic security issues. Follow us and #NATOSummit to stay up-to-date. pic.twitter.com/ZX4ZpaCQ72
— US Mission to NATO (@USNATO) June 14, 2021
So we see a pattern of Russian behavior, of aggressive actions against their neighbours Ukraine, Georgia. But also cyberattacks, hybrid attacks, poisoning against, including against Allies. And, of course, this is something that has led to the deterioration of the relationship between NATO and Russia, and our relationship is now at the lowest point since the end of the Cold War,” Stoltenberg said.
He stated that ‘NATO is adapting, NATO is responding, we have already implemented the biggest reinforcement of collective defence, with high readiness, with battlegroups in the eastern part of the alliance, and increased defence spending every year since 2014.’
Stoltenberg,however, said that along with the reinforcement of collective defence NATO will continue to strive for dialogue with Russia.