NATO Foreign Ministers praise Georgia’s commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration
NATO Foreign Ministers welcomed in Brussels the new Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidzé and looked forward to more cooperation in the context of the NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC). During the meeting, Allies encouraged all parties in Georgia to keep up the momentum of the recent elections and to consolidate democratic progress.
“In October, Georgia passed an important test”, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. “It held elections which were free, fair and democratic. Next year’s presidential elections will constitute another important test. Meanwhile, we encourage all parties to work together to keep up that momentum, to make co-habitation work, to continue to pursue the necessary reforms and to meet the highest democratic standards, including full respect for the rule of law and the constitution”, he added.
During the meeting, Allies thanked Minister Panjikidzé for Georgia’s substantial contribution to NATO’s mission in Afghanistan.
“Georgia is a close and committed partner for NATO. Recently, Georgia doubled its contribution to our mission in Afghanistan to become one of the biggest troop contributors to ISAF of all our partners”, the Secretary General said. “And Georgia has already joined the planning process for the NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan forces after 2014. All this shows strong commitment, which we very much welcome.”
Allies also reconfirmed their strong support for Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations and their commitment to continue assisting Georgia in conducting necessary reforms.