Stoltenberg Says NATO Continues Supporting Georgia

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a briefing at NATO Headquarters that the alliance continues to support Georgia.

The statement was made ahead of the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Washington DC on April 3-4. NATO Foreign Ministers will meet in Washington D.C. this week to mark the 70th anniversary of the Alliance.

“NATO has already stepped up its presence in the Black Sea region and we continue to work closely with our partners there," Stoltenberg said. "Just last week, I saw for myself this cooperation at the 2019 NATO-Georgia exercise. And today, ships from one of NATO’s naval groups are in Ukraine and Georgia. These ships will take part in the exercise Sea Shield in the Black Sea,” he said, adding that he expects the ministers this week will agree on new measures to improve situational awareness in the region and to step up NATO’s support for both Georgia and Ukraine.

Four NATO vessels entered the territorial waters of Georgia on April 1. The vessels of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) and two vessels of Georgian Coast Guard – ‘Dioskuria’ and ‘Ochamchire’ will conduct joint exercises. The floating facilities of The Netherlands, Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria will also take part.

The exercises aim at increasing interoperability between Georgia and NATO. The vessels will stay in Poti Port until April 4.

By Thea Morrison