Georgia’s NATO ambassador: Bucharest ministerial messages that Ukraine, Georgia will join bloc “symbolic”
Dolidze said Georgia welcomed the accession of Finland and Sweden to the organisation, adding the alliance’s open door policy would also affect Georgia in what he called an “irreversible process”. Photo: 1tv.ge
Tweet 
Share
Victor Dolidze, the head of the Georgian mission to NATO, on Wednesday said it was “symbolic” the alliance’s ministerial in Bucharest this week “once again” stressed Georgia and Ukraine would “definitely” join the bloc, 14 years after the pledge was first made at a NATO summit in the city.
Dolidze said Georgia welcomed the accession of Finland and Sweden to the organisation, adding the alliance’s open door policy would also affect Georgia in what he called an “irreversible process”.
A significant part of the ministerial declaration is devoted to building our defence capabilities, strengthening and increasing interoperability with NATO, and that the country, which is constantly under risk, under threat from Russia, needs more help and support to maintain peace, stability, and at the same time to develop”, Dolidze said.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, NATO foreign ministers reaffirmed their 2008 Bucharest summit pledge, and "all subsequent" decisions, that Georgia and Ukraine would become members.
The statement said the FMs “firmly” stood behind their commitment to the alliance’s open door policy and welcomed meetings with counterparts from partner states of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Moldova.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, NATO foreign ministers reaffirmed their 2008 Bucharest Summit and "all subsequent" decisions on welcoming Georgia's and Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
The Black Sea region is of vital strategic importance for NATO and in this part, it has close partners such as Ukraine and Georgia, along with member state allies Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye, the United States secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Tuesday at a press conference.
Mircea Geoană, the deputy secretary general of NATO, on Tuesday said if both the bloc on the one side, and Ukraine and Georgia on the other, were “ready” for their membership of the alliance, the countries would be “by our side”.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday said the alliance would “step up” its support for Ukraine and other partners “facing Russian pressure”, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Moldova.
Irakli Kobakhidze, the chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday said Georgia’s capital Tbilisi would be a “city of peace” and added the country was wishing the same for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion of the latter.
Javier Colomina, the NATO secretary general's special representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, on Wednesday said the ongoing meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers in Bucharest had discussed “tailored assistance” for Georgia, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Georgian foreign minister Ilia Darchiashvili on Wednesday said NATO partners had “very clearly” stated their support for a progressive integration of Georgia into the alliance, adding the process would “definitely” continue.
Georgian foreign minister Ilia Darchiashvili and his Bosnian counterpart Bisera Turković discussed activating and deepening bilateral relations between Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, in “various” fields, including in terms of sharing mutual experiences on the path to EU integration.