NATO-Brussels Summit- Declaration About Georgia

On July 11 - July 12, dozens of heads of state and government met in Brussels for the NATO Summit. As a result, the Georgia-NATO commission made some declarations reaffirming the close cooperation between Georgia and NATO, and future NATO membership.

The allies welcomed the progress on reforms that the perseverance of Georgia had allowed over the past decade, noting that democracy is consolidated, and Georgia has succeeded in facing economic problems by achieving stronger economic development. In addition, NATO congratulated Georgia for the modernization of its armed forces.

NATO also thanked Georgia for its support in its operations, notably its contribution to the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in which the country remains one of the largest troop contributors. RSM is a mission which aims to advise and assist against terrorism, supported by 13,000 troops in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. NATO recognized the “sacrifices and contributions the Georgain have made for our shared security”.

For the future, the Alliance said it will consider a new phase of cooperation dealing with cyber defense and reiterrated that they look forward to welcoming Georgia into Operation Sea Guardian which aims to protect the Mediterranean Sea.

The alliance reiterated also their full support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. They called on Russia to reverse its recognition of the so-called independence of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In addition, they pointed out the human rights violations there.

During the Summit, Georgia reaffirmed its will to achieve NATO membership. The Alliance answered that their decision made at the 2008 Bucharest Summit had not changed and Georgia will become a member of NATO, all the more because Georgia has worked hard for it since 2008.

The next NATO-Georgia exercise will be in March 2019.

By Antoine Dewaest

Photo: NATO HQ press