NATO Secretary General hails Partnership with Georgia
The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili to NATO Headquarters on Monday (17 November). After their meeting, the Secretary General thanked Prime Minister Garibashvili for his nation’s valuable contributions to the Alliance, saying Georgia, a country that aspires for NATO membership ''is one of our most committed partners'' and ''plays an outstanding role in our operations.''
Mr. Stoltenberg also praised Georgia’s reform efforts and promised continuing Allied support: “Georgia has made impressive progress in recent years. And we will support you as you continue to take forward democratic reforms. That includes further strengthening the rule of law, including the independence and professionalism of the judiciary. The Georgian people has made it clear that they want Euro-Atlantic integration to continue”.
During their meeting, the Secretary General and Prime Minister Garibashvili discussed the package of support for Georgia agreed at the Wales Summit. “The Substantial NATO-Georgia Package will strengthen your country’s defence capabilities. And it will help you to move closer to NATO,” Mr Stoltenberg said. The Secretary General welcomed Georgia’s agreement to host a new NATO-Georgia Training Centre, and noted that the Alliance will support defence capacity-building with embedded trainers. The Secretary General underlined that Georgia has also been invited to join NATO’s initiative to enhance interoperability with key partners who make significant contributions to the Alliance.
The Secretary General reiterated that NATO will stand by Georgia’s side as it works towards membership in the Alliance. “Georgia has moved closer to NATO in recent years. We stand by the decision we took at the NATO Summit in Bucharest in 2008. Georgia will be a member of NATO, provided it fulfils the necessary criteria. And we will continue to assist you in on this path.”