NATO HQ 8 Dec . 2005

Address of H.E. Mr. Gela Bezhuashvili, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia at the EAPC Foreign Ministers Meeting Mr. Secretary General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentleman, We followed the discussions in NATO regarding the shared values, and I want to thank five partner nations for bringing this issue to the table. Protection and promotion of freedoms and human rights, justice and peace through democracy are the values fundamental to the Partnership and they must be properly respected. We believe that, full use of existing mechanisms of permanent dialogue and consultations could further promote respect for the values we all share and secure full compliance with the NATO partnership principles. After the democratic Rose Revolution Georgia is doing its best to protect and promote the values of freedom and democracy from Baltic through Black Sea region to the Caspian area. The establishment and development of Community of Democratic Choice as a forum for promotion of democratic values and principle is vivid demonstration of Georgia’s determination and contribution to share and defend those values, which have always been at the core of the NATO. Together with you we must put democratic transformation in Georgia and in the region to an irreversible mode. I am delighted to underline that the NATO Istanbul Summit decisions regarding the change of partnership geographic and substantive priorities create fertile ground for Georgia to further develop its cooperation with the Alliance. It also gives us ample opportunity to capitalize on our democratic achievements. We acknowledge that the road to NATO membership is not easy – and that the first order of business is performance. In this regard, we understand that the proper implementation of IPAP is essential. There is already measurable progress in the implementation of this plan. We have scrutinized the results of the IPAP assessments and are committed to double our efforts for expeditious accomplishment of all IPAP objectives. The peaceful resolution of internal conflicts is a top priority of our political agenda. I am particularly happy to note that just a few days ago in Ljubljana the OSCE Ministerial Council made a Statement on Georgia inter alia welcoming the Peace Plan for Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia that will serve as a basis for the peaceful settlement of the conflict. Joint and cooperative efforts of the US, Russia and EU proved to be instrumental in achieving consensus on this matter. The implementation of the Peace Plan will give additional impetus to the dynamic of the conflict settlement process. We highly value the support of OSCE, UN, EU and NATO communities of our peace initiatives. Since the elaboration of the plan, we are well on track in implementing its provisions. We are proud to say, that over last several years Georgia turned into a contributor to regional and global security and a reliable ally of the NATO. Almost one tenth of our armed forces are deployed in Kosovo and Iraq. Recently, NAC approved our offer to support NATO Operation “Active Endeavour”. We stand committed to even increase our contribution to peace and stabilization operations when and where is needed. We have to be very cautious in defining the future status of Kosovo, because it could affect the situation in other conflict areas. In conclusion, I would like to underscore and once again re-affirm our full commitment to intensifying Georgia’s performance in IPAP. I believe our calendar while ambitious is also realistic. We welcome any of your suggestion, advice and technical assistance in order to fulfill our aspirations. I thank you.