Georgian President Meets Jens Stoltenberg

President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili held his first official meeting within the NATO Summit with the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg.

Margvelashvili thanked the NATO Secretary General for organizing the NATO-Georgia-Ukraine meeting and noted that this occasion, where the Heads of NATO member states will discuss Georgia's security and defense capabilities, is strategically important for Georgia.

The President of Georgia spoke about the country's integration into NATO and talked about the progress Georgia has achieved in this regard. As he noted, Georgia has all the necessary practical tools to prepare for NATO membership, adding the country is ready to move to the next stage of cooperation with the Alliance.

Margvelashvili also talked about the Russian annexation of Georgia’s occupied regions and added that Georgia is already compatible with NATO standards and is a responsible partner, who shares the values and responsibilities of NATO and is actively participating in international missions and therefore, preparing for the organization's membership.

“Today we will discuss with NATO leaders the strong support of Georgia and how to make this country more stable and secure, how to enhance the cooperation formats with NATO, which leads to strengthening defense capabilities, the ultimate goal of NATO membership. I think the Georgian people deserve to move towards an Alliance membership at a fast pace," Margvelashvili said at the joint press-conference.

Stoltenberg also underlined that Georgia is a valuable partner of NATO.

“NATO's relationship with Georgia is unique. Georgia is one of the most important NATO partners. We are grateful to Georgia for contributing to the mission of Afghanistan and for the sacrifice of the Georgian people made for our common security. We fully support Georgia's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. Georgia will become a NATO member,” he stated.

By Thea Morrison