NATO Chief: Georgia Has Right to Determine Its Future

At the NATO office in Brussels a NATO-Georgia commission session opened yesterday in the 28+1 format. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, declared that Georgia has fulfilled its promise and will continue conducting reforms.

He continued that it is significant in terms of strengthening security and supporting Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. He stated:

“Georgia is a sovereign country in its internationally recognized borders. It has the right to determine its own future and provide its own security mechanisms. At the same time, Russia still continues to violate Georgia’s borders. NATO calls on Russia to withdraw its recognition of the independence of the two Georgian regions – Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia is one of NATO’s closest partners and we aspire to deepen this relationship.”

Georgian Foreign Minister, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, said NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg recognized Georgia’s significant progress and thanked “[Us] for our contribution to the international security missions.”

Defence Minister Tina Khidasheli attended the meeting with the NATO Secretary General at NATO HQ in Brussels as well. She said “we [also] talked about the preparation process for the December ministerial.”

Other issues discussed included the NATO integration process and preparation for the 2016 Warsaw Summit.