Lithuanian President: Georgia Is Most Reliable Country in South Caucasus

Dalia Grybauskaitė, the President of Lithuania, says that Georgia is "the most reliable state in the South Caucasus region."

The President made the statement in her interview with Georgia’s Public Broadcaster.

Grybauskaitė spoke about the issue of Georgia’s membership in NATO, saying it is very close to becoming a member of the Alliance.

“The main thing is the trust between us and the protection of democratic values that is written in the NATO Charter. Practically the same requirements are necessary to join NATO as for the EU, plus the military cooperation,” Lithuanian President stated.

She explained that the fact that Georgian soldiers participate in NATO peacekeeping missions may become the foundation of Georgia’s NATO membership.

“If a proper decision is made by NATO member states, we can skip some steps and accelerate Georgia’s membership into the Alliance,” she added.

However, Grybauskaitė noted that NATO at present is very busy with international security elements, transatlantic relations and cooperation with the new US administration.

“NATO has many priorities on its agenda right now. It means that the Alliance is very busy and its expansion is beyond this agenda at present,” she stated.

“We always say that Georgia is an important and valuable partner. We say that Georgia is successfully implementing reforms and that it is the only country in the South Caucasus which we can rely on,” Grybauskaitė added.

By Thea Morrison