Parliament Speaker highlights role of NATO “umbrella” in Georgia’s security
Papuashvili, who is on an official visit to Norway, made the comment while speaking of expectations of the Government from the upcoming NATO Summit. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, on Monday stressed that the Georgian authorities saw the guarantee of the country’s security under the NATO “umbrella”.
Papuashvili, who is on an official visit to Norway, made the comment while speaking of expectations of the Government from the upcoming NATO Summit.
We see the guarantee of our security under the umbrella of NATO. In June [at NATO’s Summit in Madrid] it will be time to once again send the signal of support for Georgia, and provide not only the open door, but also the path of how Georgia can become a member of NATO”, the head of the Georgian legislative body said.
Edgars Rinkevics, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, on Sunday said his country supported granting Georgia a Membership Action Plan for joining the alliance.
Rinkevics said it was “important” to reflect NATO’s open door policy in the new concept of the alliance, pointing out the accession of Finland and Sweden would be “crucial” for Georgia.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Secretary General of the alliance, on Wednesday said the West had made its “first mistake” back in 2008, at its Bucharest Summit, in not outlining a “clear path” to NATO for Georgia and Ukraine.
Rasmussen acknowledged NATO members could not agree on granting Georgia and Ukraine the MAP at the Summit, with the split sending a “wrong message” to Russia, which invaded Georgia a few months later, in August of the same year.
Edgars Rinkevics, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, on Sunday said his country supported granting Georgia a Membership Action Plan for joining NATO.
The West made its first “mistake” back in 2008 in not outlining a “clear path” to NATO for Georgia and Ukraine, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former Secretary-General of the Alliance, has said in an interview with the Foreign Policy magazine.
Priorities and future prospects of the NATO-Georgia military cooperation were discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between Major General Giorgi Matiashvili, the Chief of the Georgian Defence Forces, and Admiral Rob Bauer, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee.
Nothing will change Georgia’s determination to pursue its path toward the European Union and NATO membership, President Salome Zourabichvili said on Thursday in an interview with the French magazine Marie Claire.
The importance of deepening cooperation between Georgia and Norway in various areas was discussed on Monday in a meeting between the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili and the King of Norway Harald V.
Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday expressed his hope Denmark would support Georgia’s European aspirations and granting the country the European Union membership candidate status.
Growing dynamics of the “positive cooperation” between Georgia and Denmark was discussed on Tuesday in a meeting between Shalva Papuashvili, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, and Margrethe II, the Queen of Denmark.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday called the invitation for Georgian officials to meet with alliance leaders at its upcoming Madrid Summit an “important expression” of “solidarity” and “close partnership”.
Georgian defence minister Juansher Burchuladze is featuring in a meeting of NATO ministers of defence in Brussels, the Georgian ministry said on Wednesday.
Georgian defence minister Juansher Burchuladze on Wednesday attended a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels, discussing the situation created as a result of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the country’s needs in combating the ongoing Russian offensives, as well as the security challenges facing the United States’s allies and partners.