NATO Sec-Gen calls on allies to “step up” in providing support for Georgia

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on the allies of the alliance to “step up” in their support for Georgia following an extraordinary meeting of NATO defence ministers on Wednesday.

Stoltenberg said the ongoing war in Ukraine also put the nearby non-NATO member states, including Georgia, at risk.

One of the lessons we have to learn from what is going on in Ukraine today is that we need to support these countries which are at risk now. It's better to support and help them now than after a military intervention,” he told the press.

Stoltenberg added the participants of the meeting “listened very carefully” to Georgian Defence Minister Juansher Burchuladze, as the latter recalled the consequences of Russia’s attack on Georgia back in 2008.

“I think that the message for Georgia is that we should step up, provide more support and send the message that we support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia. Not only words, but also in deeds,” the Secretary-General stressed.

Earlier today, the Defence Minister of Georgia said the country had never been “so relevant” for the Alliance.

Burchuladze took part in the meeting along with his counterparts from Ukraine, Sweden, Finland and European Union member states.