NATO HQ 26 July 2006

Press point by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and the Prime Minister of Georgia, Zurab Nogaideli JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER (Secretary General, NATO): Ladies and gentlemen it's a special pleasure I could say as usual to receive the Georgian Prime Minister Noghaideli here this morning. We just left a session of the North Atlantic Council where the Prime Minister made an exposé on Georgia's position vis-à-vis the fundamental reform process. The country is going through having chosen for the path of Euro-Atlantic integration. Around the table as expected there is a large degree of support - there's strong support I should say - strong support for the reform process in Georgia. It is important to implement every piece of it, be it reforming the legal system, be it reforming defence as the Prime Minister has indicated. And you know that the allies in NATO stand ready to support Georgia wherever necessary and wherever possible in that reform process I say where of course implementation is key. It is clear that Georgia has expressed and of course the Prime Minister repeated that, specific steps on the road to Euro-Atlantic integration on the road to NATO membership. Georgia has made considerable progress in the framework of the individual Partnership Action Plan. Allies have noted that again. Allies have also noted that Georgia has transformed from a security consumer to a security provider. We are very happy and glad with Georgia's participation: the participation that was in ISAF in K4 and now the ambition to support and assist the naval operation Active Endeavour. In my closing remarks I said that it is clear that allies will follow very closely and go on supporting the reform efforts in Georgia and I'm sure on the other hand that also at the political level when NATO Foreign Ministers will meet in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where as you know the Riga Summit will be prepared, the aspirations of those nations who have clearly chosen for the route to Atlantic integration will be on the agenda there as well. In that respect I think the visit of Prime Minister Noghaideli was very timely. Prime Minister a warm welcome once again. ZURAB NOGHAIDELI (Prime Minister, Georgia): Thank you; thank you very much Mr. Secretary General. I would like to thank you again: international headquarters and you personally for the support you have given to us on this very important reforms of ours and to achieve the number one foreign policy objective of Georgia - to become eventually a NATO member. We think that the time is coming for Georgia to take the next step in NATO integration, to go to the next stage of Intensified Dialogue and we thought that it was the right time to come here to the North Atlantic Council and to report on the developments which have been taking place in Georgia. We have reported here the local government reforms and local elections which we will be held at the end of this year, when for the first time local top executives will be elected by the local elected councils and this is the major development for Georgia. This is another evolution for Georgia. This is the deepening of democratic institutions in Georgia. We have reported on a very ambitious legal and judiciary reform in Georgia which we have embarked on and which will take four to five years to implement and we very much count our partners during the implementation of this very ambitious reform again. We have reported on ongoing defence reform and we have agreed that as SDR - Strategic Defence Review - to be finished by the end of the year and we have discussed this issue. We have once again reiterated our strong commitment to the peaceful resolution of the territorial conflicts in Georgia. We have reported on economic reforms and the economic achievements of Georgia. And we are very thankful to allies for the strong support they have shown today around the table for Georgia's NATO integration. So this is to report in short and then if there is any questions... MODERATOR: First question is there. Q: We are looking forward with some hope to Riga Summit of NATO when there will be one of the items of this summit the enlargement of NATO and giving ID to Georgia. DE HOOP SCHEFFER: Well as I said we have a ministerial meeting, Foreign Ministers meeting, in New York in September in preparation for the Riga Summit. As you know at the Riga Summit there will be no formal invitations to join the Alliance for nations who are aspiring to join the Alliance to really join the Alliance. But, as I said many times before, there will certainly be signals and I'm sure positive signals, to nations aspiring NATO membership and those nations are in different phases of course. If I look at the nations in the Balkans who have the Membership Action Plan I hope and I'm sure they can expect a positive signal. As far as Georgia is concerned and more specifically because you referred to Intensified Dialogue, I don't think that it is very much the question of the matter if there will be Intensified Dialogue for Georgia, but when. Allies are still discussing this and I mentioned the Foreign Ministers meeting in New York not for nothing, because I'm sure I don't know what result it will have, but that this issue, this item, will also be on the agenda in New York and it will certainly be on the agenda at the Riga Summit. So more a matter of when than the if, but the exact when question I cannot answer at the very moment because allies are still discussing this. MODERATOR: Two questions here. Q: Thank you. (Inaudible)... news agency of Russia. Mr. Prime Minister could I ask you about the current situation in the Kodori Gorge? Could you comment the situation because there is no reliable data for the moment because of the informational black-out? And could you comment the moves of the Abkhaz leaders that they said that their security forces will be on full alert? Thank you. NOGHAIDELI: Whatever is going on in Kodori well is simple ordinary criminal Emzar Kvitsiani and we are holding there very limited police operation and this criminal and his small gang group will be disarmed and arrested and brought down to the penitentiary system of Georgia which we also discussed here during our presentation. MODERATOR: Next question is there. Mark? Q: Mark John for Reuters. Secretary General can I take the opportunity to ask you about another pressing security concern? Lebanon - Israel has expressed a readiness for NATO to have a role in this potential peace force. European diplomats are talking about possible NATO configurations (inaudible) or even use of the NRF. Why are you so unenthusiastic for NATO to have a role in what is a very high priority security activity? DE HOOP SCHEFFER: I would leave the word unenthusiastic to yourself. I mean what I'm showing is what the allies are showing - is of course a deep interest in what is going on in the region. Their wish, the wish of the allies as well, but as we speak there is a conference in Rome going on to see how this can be brought to an end. The allies also know and realize that there is discussion about a stabilization force and that many, many suggestions go and are on the table - many - including people, Ministers, direct participants who talk about a NATO role. I just repeat what I said before. I think this is not the moment and that has nothing to do with being unenthusiastic; that has simply to do with seeing what is happening. Will there be a stabilization force? What kind of mandate it will have? What nations are going to participate? What is the opinion of the nations in the region? What will be the position of the United Nations? In other words, I see many suggestions ending with a question mark. Allies will certainly in the council meeting which is going to start soon,in the political sense, review the situation. That does not mean that that is followed by NATO action. I take the position that I hope that the Rome conference will yield some result and that the participants in the Rome conference will be able to draw the beginning of a common line. That is the question which has to be answered first and then other questions arrive and arise about a stabilization force. Who is going to participate? In other words, I do not include anything; I do not exclude anything. But at the moment I will not speculate about any NATO role or participation. MODERATOR: Next question was over here. Q: Mr. Secretary General our Prime Minister has already mentioned the problem that we have in one of the regions in Kodori. I mean he called that just simple criminal, but there is some concerns and opinions that a third party is involved in it and there arises the question of Abkhazia as well. We are interested in your opinion. Will such problem or problems like this have an impact on integration of Georgia in NATO? Will it have an impact on time giving Georgia ID? DE HOOP SCHEFFER: The position of the allies has always been and I can repeat that again, that they respect - that's the basic point - Georgia's territorial integrity. I think that's a very important notion. And secondly, and that came indeed up in the meeting this morning again, that the allies and I think the Prime Minister and I fully agree there, have always said we want a peaceful solution for this conflict. Those are the two bottom lines: territorial integrity/respect of Georgia and a peaceful solution and we have looked with interest of course at the proposals having been tabled by the Georgina government in this respect. MODERATOR: I'm afraid that's all we have time for. I believe the Prime Minister will remain behind for a couple of minutes for his own press activities, but we are out of time. DE HOOP SCHEFFER: That's okay. Then I'll take the opportunity to shake hands with the Prime Minister. MODERATOR: Please.