Parliament Speaker stresses importance of “tailored” NATO assistance programme for Georgia
The Parliament official noted it was “disappointing” that a “decisive” step of offering NATO membership to Georgia and Ukraine had not yet been taken. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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The Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Shalva Papuashvili on Thursday said the ongoing NATO Summit had sent “another signal” in support for the bloc’s open door policy, and called the adoption of a “tailored” assistance programme for Georgia a “really important” step.
The Parliament official noted it was “disappointing” that a “decisive” step of offering NATO membership to Georgia and Ukraine had not yet been taken.
We received from the Madrid Summit another signal in support for the open door policy and a tailored support program for Georgia, which is really important. However, unfortunately, the main step we expect [offering NATO membership] has not been taken”, Papuashvili said.
Georgia is fully compatible with NATO, our political agenda is in full compliance. Georgia was one of the largest contributors to the Afghanistan mission, and wherever NATO members need it, Georgia is there. Now it is important that when Georgia needs NATO, NATO should be right there”, he concluded in his comments.
The NATO Summit on Wednesday decided to “step up tailored political and practical support” to partners including Georgia. Heads of member states also reaffirmed the decision taken at the 2008 Bucharest Summit that Georgia and Ukraine would become members of the alliance.
The Georgian Foreign Ministry on Thursday welcomed the approval of a set of “tailored support” measures for the country by the NATO Summit, with the support involving “concrete steps” to further enhance the country's defence capabilities and achieve NATO’s more effective engagement in this process.
The NATO Summit in Madrid was “successful” for Georgia, with another “very important step” forward taken in the country's European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Victor Dolidze, the Head of the Georgian mission to NATO, said on Thursday.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Wednesday said his Government stood ready to work closely with the transatlantic community to “safeguard peace, stability and promote shared values”.
New measures to step up “tailored political and practical support” to partners including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Moldova will be ensured by NATO following a declaration on the matter at the ongoing Summit of the alliance on Wednesday.
Kelly Degnan, the United States Ambassador to Georgia, on Thursday said Georgia was a “very strong partner” of NATO, as demonstrated by the participation of the Georgian Government’s high-level delegation in the ongoing Madrid Summit of the alliance.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Tuesday left for Brussels to hold high-level meetings at NATO, the Parliament said.